How to Care For Your Teeth So You Can Avoid an ER Visit

How to Care For Your Teeth So You Can Avoid an ER Visit

Toothaches and related pains can drive you to visit the dentist. A painful tooth is triggered by extreme changes in temperature. You eat hot or cold food and drinks and then the pain strikes. Whether your tooth has broken down because of heavy biting or grinding you can feel the hurt each time you chew. If in case the tooth filling falls out, you will feel the throbbing pain. Injury to the teeth and gums must not be ignored. You might not be aware of this but, there may be instances when your nerves or blood vessels are damaged.

The problem is that infection might be present and yet you failed to have it treated until it is too late. Infection can slowly spread out through other parts of your head and neck. If you don’t want to deal with more serious health problems have your dentist check this. There are rare cases when what seems to be a simple dental problem becomes life-threatening. The best thing to do is to have the injured tooth repaired.

Referral from ER

Emergency rooms throughout the United States have seen a dramatic increase from patients in dental pain. The common complaints come from patients who suffer from dental decay. The problem is that hospitals deal with other kinds of disease but, not fit with facilities for dental care. Patients are given only antibiotics or pain reliever however, the underlying dental issue is not addressed properly. These same patients come back to the emergency room having the same problem. In the worst-case scenario, the dental condition gets worse.

Dentist collaborates with hospitals to refer these patients to dental clinics. The dental treatment actually cost less than what you pay in hospitals.  Dental health programs aim to improve patient oral health. The goal is to take patients from the ER into the dental chair. People are given a crash course in dental health education and disease prevention through community programs. This way would be patients will know where they need to go in case of a dental emergency.

Dental Emergencies and Management

What can start as a toothache because of lost filling can lead to an infection. In real life, some patients are sent to the emergency room or even intensive care on a ventilator and feeding tube. Don’t get an unpleasant surprise of a visit to the ER forlong-delayed dental care. The American Dental Association or ADA shows how ER visits have doubled in 2012. Patients do visit the ER every 15 seconds. Even if health reforms were initiated this did not stop problems like this from persisting. Don’t get hospitalize or die just because of your teeth.

The reason for delayed visits to the dentist can be to blame on limited dental insurance coverage. According to data shared from the ADA, most visits to the dental ER are by uninsured people. Some of these patients are with government insurance plans. The Affordable Care Act only covers dental services for children and not for adults. Prevention is priceless if there is easy access to a wide-coverage of dental insurance.

Today, dentists can give you a lot of options for dealing with dental emergencies. Advancement in technology provides you ways for tooth restoration. Teeth can be repaired and replaced with synthetic materials that look similar to your natural teeth. You don’t have to remain toothless forever.  There is no need to have your teeth pulled out if there is a way to save it through dental restoration.

Ways to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Accidents can happen just like that. Knowing what to do can save your teeth.

• Wear a mouth guard.

When you participate in sports or recreational activities do wear a mouth guard. This can prevent injury to your teeth.

• Avoid chewing ice or hard candy.

You might crack your teeth in the process. Don’t use your teeth to cut things. You need to look for scissors that you can use to cut stuff with.

• Knocked out permanent adult tooth first aid.

In case you are suffering from an accidental displace permanent teeth keep it moist at all times.  If the tooth is not where it should be trying to put it back in the socket. Try to avoid touching the root. Another alternative would be to place the tooth between your cheek and gums or in milk to hold it still. You need to visit your dentist immediately.  

• What to do with a cracked tooth?

Rinse your mouth with warm water. Use a cold compress on your face to make the swelling die down. In case you accidentally bite your tongue or lips, clean the area with water and use cold compress too.

• Toothache SOS

Rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss gently to remove the food caught in between the teeth. If in case there are objects stuck in the mouth, try to gently remove the floss but, don’t use a sharp and pointed object. Avoid using aspirin on the aching tooth or gums.

• Call your dentist ahead.

Provide as much detail as you can while you talk with the dentist over the phone. Repeat what you said over the phone when you arrive in the dental clinic. It would be easy for your dentist to treat your condition if he knows what he is dealing with. Of course, your dentist might require a dental x-ray or the use of similar equipment.

Keep Teeth Healthy and Strong-How to Avoid ER Visits

Oral health is crucial. It is part of the solution on how to avoid emergency room visits. Your dentist has the training and skills to help identify the dental problem. He can determine whether your teeth requires serious care. Your dentist can reduce or help get rid of the pain within a few minutes. Why would you bear the pain when there is an available solution?

If you are not sure if yours is a dental emergency or not, go to the dentist. This is because injuries can be small but, it can spread out through living tissues inside your teeth and mouth. When you visit the dentist for a quick treatment the chances of saving injured or damage teeth grow.  

For example, a lost filling or crown can leave your teeth exposed to the elements. Your tooth has lost its support and can get damage fast just like that. You might be surprised to chew on pieces of your teeth which may require more extensive treatment.  When you visit your dentist he will clean your teeth using a prophy paste. These are available in different flavors. You can choose whichever prophy paste flavor you prefer. You might be surprised just how you will feel the cleaning action inside your mouth because of a simple prophy paste application.

Next, after your dentist uses the prophy paste he will seal the teeth using fluoride varnish. This will strengthen your teeth especially the exposed areas. Fluoride varnish acts better than a regular sealant. Here are ways on how fluoride varnish works.

• Fluoride varnish slows down the development of tooth decay by stopping demineralization on its tracks.
• Fluoride varnish makes your teeth enamel resistant to acid attack due to plaque bacteria build-up.
• Fluoride varnish stops the bacteria from producing more acid.

In Ending

As always you can prevent accidents from taking place to avoid ER visits. At home, if you have young children you can always reduce trip hazards. Use gates that will block stairways and other potentially dangerous areas in the house. Check your kids when they are at play. Do not let them run around with objects caught in their mouth. There are cases when even during tooth brushing they run around with toothbrush on their mouth.  As they run they can trip over.

Be alert on what you can do to prevent dental crises from getting out of control. Look for an emergency dentist near you. Even if you or your family does not need an urgent dental treatment knowing so will come in handy. It is wiser to be in the know. This way, you can easily take control of dental emergencies once it happens in the future. Dental problems that need immediate attention like bleeding, severe pain or saving a tooth is considered as a dental emergency.  

If you experience severe pain that pain killers cannot help you need to go straight to the dentist. This is especially true when you suffer from trauma to your face, mouth or teeth. You don’t need to go for an emergency room visit because you can always go directly to your dentist during dental emergencies. After all, the dentist is the right expert to deal with tooth emergencies and related concerns. Calling your dentist first will give you his advice on the best course of action. Doctors can treat you for other kinds of disease but, when it comes to teeth emergencies this is your dentist territory.