Dental emergencies can happen at any time. Your dentist's office isn't always available to see you right away. It could be the weekend, a holiday, or just after hours. When you have a dental emergency, you want to be able to get the care you need promptly. Unfortunately, you could end up having to handle the problem yourself until a dentist is available. Knowing how to handle your emergency properly can be crucial to ensure that the dentist is able to salvage the tooth. 

Common Dental Problems

When experiencing common dental problems that warrant a dental visit, there are a few things that you can do to help keep the pain at bay until you are able to get an appointment. For a cracked tooth, you want to make sure that you rinse your mouth out with warm water. Do not shave the sharp part down or you could make it hard for the dentist to salvage it later. You can put dental wax over the sharp edge to make sure that it doesn't cut your tongue or your mouth. 

If you have knocked out your tooth, you want to clean the tooth very carefully. Do not remove any tissue on the tooth because this could be used by the dentist later. Place the tooth in a small container of milk to help keep it moist. If you can put the tooth back into the socket, this can help. You must be careful that you don't swallow it because it will be loose. 

For a toothache, you can take a pain killer to help reduce the pain. Do not put the pain killer directly on your gum or you could end up burning the gum. You could have a piece of food stuck in your teeth. By flossing in between your teeth, you could possibly remove it and help eliminate the pain. Make sure to rinse your mouth out with warm water. 

Heading to the Hospital

There are times when a dental emergency is too severe and the best solution is to head straight to the hospital. If you are have dislocated or fractured your jaw, you will need to head to the hospital. Additionally, if you have an abscess that is making it hard to breath or swallow, it is important that you get care right away. This could end up causing more problems for you if you don't get help right away. Anything life threatening should be dealt with by a hospital visit. 

For more information about dental care and dental emergencies, contact a professional like those at Treasure Valley Periodontics.