Dentist Providing Tips on How to Handle Dental Emergencies Until You Can Receive Treatment

Treating a dental emergency can be the difference between losing and saving a tooth or multiple teeth. It’s important that you find a dentist who offers emergency services for when you need it most. Dr. Colby Echols at Swan Dental in Tucson, AZ offers emergency dental services for patients who find themselves in a dental crisis.

What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?

Accidents are not something you can ever plan for, so knowing that you have a dentist who is there for you in such a terrifying and stressful time is a huge relief. After all, dental emergencies are stressful enough without the added headache of figuring out where you can go. Being able to differentiate between a dental emergency and an issue that can be handled during your dentist’s normal hours is also important.

Dental emergencies can be a result of biting into something too hard or from trauma to the face during an activity such as an athletic event. Issues which could be viewed as dental emergencies include:

• Cracked Tooth
• Broken Tooth
• Knocked Out Tooth

What to do When A Tooth Is Knocked Out

If you find yourself in a situation where you have a tooth that has been knocked out of your mouth, the first thing to remember is to handle it as little as possible. If you can fit it back into the socket and hold it in by gently biting down on a moistened gauze pad, then you should try that.

If you are unable to place the tooth in its socket successfully, you just need to find a clean container and put milk in it. Submerge your tooth in that milk until you can get to the dentist. It’s incredibly important at this point to get to the dentist as quickly as you can. If the wound from the missing tooth is bleeding, apply a cold, wet compress to the wound to help stifle the blood flow.

If you are ever in need of emergency dental assistance, please give Dr. Colby Echols a call at (520) 595-3655. Dr. Echols understands the urgency these situations demand and will be there for you when you need him most.