DENTAL EMERGENCIES
Dental emergencies can occur to anyone, at any time.
Prevention is always better than cure, however, if you do require immediate dental care the following information could save your tooth.
Your teeth are something that you want to last a lifetime, so it is extremely important to see a Dentist as soon as possible after the incident. What do I do if My Tooth gets knocked out?
The most common form of dental emergency is the loss of a tooth. If you have lost a tooth, it is imperative to see a dentist as soon as possible. By attaining medical treatment within 30 minutes, there is an 85% chance the tooth will survive. After you have lost your tooth, the first thing you must do is find the tooth. Once you have found your tooth, handle it very delicately – not touching the fragile root (necessary intact in order to encourage re-attachment).
You must also resist the temptation to clean your tooth off with water. If the tooth is clean, place it gently back into its socket immediately and apply slight pressure. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it using milk and place it back into its socket. Otherwise keep the tooth moist by placing it in a glass of milk or tuck it into you cheek. The sooner you visit the dentist, the greater the chance of saving the tooth.
Are Mouthguards really that important? A mouthguard is the very best protection you can offer your smile. Imperative during any form of contact sport; a properly fitting mouthguard can prevent broken teeth as well as injuries to the lips, tongue, face or jaw. Accidents can happen at any time on the field. A mouthguard will help cushion the blow to your face, which otherwise may have resulted in tooth loss.
Chips or broken teeth, nerve damage to a tooth or even tooth loss; are all much more likely to occur if you are not wearing a mouthguard. Correctly fitting mouthguards will stay in place whilst you are wearing them; enabling you to breathe and talk as usual.