Although keeping your teeth clean and safe from harmful bacteria is a must for optimum oral health, a single oral accident can ruin a lifetime’s worth of progress. However, although you cannot prevent oral accidents in every scenario, you can plan for the best and most productive forms of recovery.
A safer smile is a greater smile. Here are some things you should know about keeping your smile safe should an oral emergency or accident arise:
– If you have lost a dental filling, cover the available area with a piece of chewing gum, cotton swab, or dental cement until treatment from your dentist is available.
– If a tooth is knocked loose or cracked, wash away any debris and clean the wound out. Cover the location with a gauze pad until the bleeding stops.
– Use interdental oral health care objects such as water flossers or dental floss on objects stuck in your mouth. Avoid the use sharp or blunt objects to try to pry the object loose.
– If you have lost a dental crown, cover the available area with a cotton swab coated in clove oil until treatment from your dentist is available.
– If you bite your tongue, lip, or cheek, make use of gauze pads on the affected spot until the bleeding stops. For deep wounds, it is suggested that you visit your doctor for stitches.
– If a tooth is knocked out, it may be reinserted later if you place it in a tooth-saving liquid such as milk. Visit your dentist as soon as you can to see if it may be possible to place it back into your mouth.
To discuss your oral health care treatment options with Dr. Kenneth Lewis and the rest of our team at Lewis Family Dentistry, simply book an appointment at our dentist office in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Our number is 910.488.0518. We look forward to hearing from you.