Have you suffered a serious tooth injury? You are in a scary and painful situation. However, the last thing you should do is panic. Take a moment to calm down, and then assess the situation. If you are bleeding a lot or have injuries in areas other than your mouth, you may need to visit a local emergency room for initial treatment. Then, you can focus on your tooth injury. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to care for oral injuries, how you can bounce back from them, and how you may be able to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Immediate Care for Your Injured Tooth
There are some steps you can take immediately after you suffer a tooth injury to lessen the damage to your oral health:
- If a tooth got knocked out, gently rinse it off and try to replace it in its socket. Your emergency dentist might be able to splint it back into place if you get to them within an hour or so. If the tooth is broken, try to find the piece that broke off and bring it to your dentist.
- Control bleeding and swelling with gauze and ice.
- Avoid using the tooth to chew until you can visit a dentist for care.
- Take an over the counter pain reliever if necessary.
Recovering Fully from a Tooth Injury
Tooth injuries often require more than a single visit to an emergency dentist for full recovery. For example, if your dentist was not able to splint a lost tooth back into place, you should not simply accept the new gap in your smile. Visit a prosthodontist in Boca Raton who can help you replace the tooth with a natural-looking, natural-feeling prosthetic. Even if a tooth was merely broken, a visit to a prosthodontist is still in order; they can design a veneer to help the tooth regain its original shape and function. A prosthodontist is a true expert in dental prosthetics, which means they are especially qualified to help you regain whatever portion of your smile that you lost in an accident.
Preventing Future Tooth Injuries
Ideally, the best way to cope with an injury to a tooth is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Therefore, you should always be aware of your surroundings and take note of any potential fall hazards. That is especially true for older adults; according to the National Council on Aging, falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries among adults over 65 years of age. Don’t be ashamed to walk with a cane if necessary or hold onto the handrail when you’re climbing stairs.
Sports and eating mishaps are other common culprits behind dental injuries. Most such injuries are preventable via custom mouthguards and careful chewing practices.
Has one of your teeth suffered an injury that is making you cry out “HELP!!!”? Use the above tips to manage the situation.
About the Author
Dr. Steven Feit is a prosthodontist, emergency dentist, and cosmetic dentist in Boca Raton. He has over three decades of experience in helping patients regain full dental function following tooth loss and dental injuries. To learn more about Dr. Feit and his services, contact our office today at 561-338-7535.