What should you do about a dental emergency at a Terps game?

You have been waiting all summer for Terps football, and now the season is finally here! Unfortunately, sometimes a dental emergency can interrupt your fall fun. You might bite down on a popcorn kernel in just the wrong way and crack a tooth, or maybe an over-zealous fellow fan accidentally elbows you in the mouth and knocks out your tooth.

Whatever dental emergency you have, Dr. Dana Keith and the staff at Dana D. Keith DDS can help! Read on for a list of common dental emergencies and what you should do in case one of them happens to you.

See your dentist as soon as possible if …

• You have a cracked tooth. Rinse out the mouth to clean out the area as best you can and apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth to help with pain and swelling.
• You have something stuck in your teeth and can’t remove it. Try to remove it with dental floss. Don’t use a pointy or sharp instrument to try to get it out, and however you are trying to remove it don’t use too much force.
• You have a toothache. Rinse the mouth with warm water and gently use dental floss to try to remove anything caught in between teeth that may be causing the toothache. If you have swelling, use a cold compress on the outside of the mouth. You may have heard that you should apply an aspirin to the gums, but this may actually harm the gum tissue.
• You have lost a filling, use a piece of chewed sugarless gum to cover the tooth to protect the tooth and prevent pain.
• Your tooth is partially dislodged from the gums. Use a cold compress outside the mouth and an over-the-counter pain reliever for pain.
• You have a broken or chipped tooth. Collect all the pieces and rinse them off. Rinse your mouth out with warm water. Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth.

See your dentist within an hour if …

• Your tooth has been knocked out completely. If you can get to the dentist in less than an hour, there is a very good chance the tooth can be saved. In the meantime, carefully rinse the tooth and the root. Make sure you don’t scrub too hard and don’t use soap or a chemical cleaner. Try to put the tooth back into place but don’t force it into the socket. Make sure it is facing the right way.
• If you can’t fit it back into the socket, you should try to keep it moist. Put it in a cup of milk or in a cup of water with a pinch of salt. Or, you can place it in your mouth between your teeth and gums.

Head to the emergency room if …

• You have had an injury to the lips, tongue, cheeks or gums that won’t stop bleeding. First, clean the wound as best you can with a mixture of warm water and salt. Take a piece of gauze or a moistened tea bag and apply gentle pressure to the wound, holding in place for 20 minutes at a time. Use a cold compress on the outside of the mouth for pain.

Whether you have a dental emergency or you just need a dental exam, you can count on Dr. Dana Keith and the team at Dana Keith DDS in Silver Spring, Maryland to help! Call (301) 799-3360!
Go Terps!