After falling down and striking your mouth on a piece of furniture, you may have discovered that you have broken one of your teeth. If so, use the following tips to take care of yourself until you can have your tooth looked at by a dentist at your local dental clinic.
Control Any Bleeding First
Depending on how hard to hit your mouth and the area of the tooth where the break occurred, you may or may not have bleeding. If you broke your tooth close to the crown, you may not have damaged the pulp where the blood vessels and nerves are located.
However, if you broke the tooth off at least halfway down, or the tooth broke off and cut the gum, you may have bleeding. Before you do anything else, you need to try to control this bleeding.
If you have any gauze or even a wet paper towel, place it over the tooth, and bite down enough to slow down the blood flow. Apply pressure for as long as you can until the vessels clot and the bleeding stops.
Along with the gauze or towel, you may also want to apply a cold compress to your face or use a bag of ice covered with a terry towel. The cold from the ice will constrict the blood vessels, helping to slow the bleeding, as well as reduce the pain and swelling.
Put Tooth Fragments in Saliva or Milk
After you have slowed the bleeding and taken steps to reduce your symptoms, it is time to see if you can find the fragments from your tooth. Even if the tooth broke off into several pieces, you still want to have them with you when you go to see the dentist, as they may be able to piece your tooth back together.
When you do find your fragments, avoid touching any of the roots that have been exposed, as this could permanently damage them. Once you have collected them, put the pieces in a small container, and cover them with either your own saliva or milk to keep them nourished and moist until they can be examined by a dental professional.
Once you have followed the above tips, you need to have the tooth examined by a professional to see whether or not it can be saved, as well as find out if any other damage resulted from the injury. If you cannot get in to see your dentist right away, find a dental emergency clinic near you where you can receive immediate care.
Share28 August 2018
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