When someone breaks, chips, or loses a tooth it is important to know how to render the proper first aid.
Dental or Medical Emergency?
Damaging a tooth by biting something hard is a dental emergency. Bruising, swelling and bleeding of the face or head is a medical emergency. If the victim exhibits symptoms of a possible brain injury like loss of consciousness, bleeding from the mouth of ears, or disorientation it is a medical emergency that supersedes the dental emergency.
Broken And Chipped Tooth First Aid
After someone breaks or chips a tooth their mouth should be rinsed out with warm water to remove debris from the tooth fragment. Bleeding can be staunched using a piece of moist gauze. A cold compress can be applied to ease pain and swelling. Be careful not to touch the tooth fragment with the cold compress. An over the counter pain reliever can also be taken.
Transporting Tooth Fragments
Whether the tooth is chipped or broken a dentist should be contacted immediately. Any fragment or fragments of the tooth should be taken to the dentist. The pieces of the tooth must be kept in milk during transport.
Treating a Chipped Tooth
Minor chipping can be filled. If the damage is to a front tooth the dentist will replace the chip with resin through a process called bonding.
Treating a Broken Tooth
For significant break what is left of the tooth may be ground down to accommodate an artificial crown. A temporary crown is applied first and replaced by a permanent crown.
If the top of the tooth is gone, but the roots are healthy root canal surgery may be indicated. A metal post will be inserted in the canal. That post will support an artificial crown.
Lost Tooth First Aid
If a tooth or teeth are knocked out because of a blow or fall an evaluation needs to be made to determine if a visit to the ER necessary.
Handling The Tooth
Retrieve the tooth touching the crown (top) to avoid damaging the roots. The mouth should be washed out with warm water. The tooth should be immersed in warm water only for a maximum of ten seconds. Do not use a cloth, brush, or any other method to clean the tooth.
Transporting The Tooth or Fragments
If the tooth is whole place the tooth back in the socket. If medical treatment is not needed contact one of the dental offices in San Marcos Tx immediately. If the tooth doesn’t fit back in the socket properly it is an indication that medical intervention is needed first.
If the tooth is broken gather as much of the tooth as you can. Transport the pieces to the dentist in milk.
Treating a Lost Tooth
If placed back in the socket within 20 minutes the tooth may reestablish itself in the mouth. It is still necessary to see a dentist and keep follow-up appointments. The dentist in San Marcos Tx may secure the tooth to neighboring teeth until it is firmly re-implanted. If the tooth does not re-implant it can be replaced with a denture.
