First Impressions, PC

Emergency Care

Toothaches

To comfort your child, rinse the mouth with water. Apply a cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth. Do not put heat or aspirin on the sore area.

Fractured teeth

If a tooth is fractured, rinse mouth with warm water and use an ice pack or cold compress to reduce swelling. Use ibuprofen, not aspirin, for pain. Immediately contact your dentist.

First aid for a dental emergency:

Follow these simple first aid steps for a tooth that has been either knocked loose or knocked out:

- If a tooth is displaced, push it back into its original position and bite down so the tooth does not move.

- Call your dentist or visit the emergency room. The dentist may splint the tooth in place to the two healthy teeth next to the loose tooth.

- If the tooth is completely knocked out, pick the tooth up by the crown - not by the root, as handling the root may damage the cells necessary for bone reattachment and hinder the replant. If the tooth can not be replaced in its socket, do not let the tooth dry out. Place it in a container with a lid and use low-fat milk, saline solution, or saliva. Visit the dentist as soon as possible - the longer the tooth is out of the mouth, the less likely the tooth will be able to be saved.