|
Dental Health: Caring for Damaged Teeth and Fillings by Chris Tillington http://www.uwdental.com When a tooth is damaged due to chipping, breaking or fracturing, or if a filling has been compromised, steps need to be taken in order to provide appropriate care for the tooth until your dentist can be seen. Otherwise, infection can set in or the tooth itself can suffer further damage, which may result in the eventual loss of the tooth or other dental problems. If something has happened to cause a tooth to become broken, chipped or fracture in some way, take steps to see your dentist within two to three hours of the time that the damage was sustained. Of course, if the damage is extensive, or comes about as the result of a trauma of some sort, such as a motor vehicle accident, you may need to be treated at the emergency room before you can see your dentist or dental technician. In most cases, the damaged area can be repaired, or the tooth can be saved through more aggressive treatment, such as capping or filling. The first thing to worry about is bleeding. If you apply direct, gentle pressure to the affected gum area, not to the tooth itself, this can usually be stopped. Where you apply pressure depends on the area of the damaged tooth: you apply pressure above or below the tooth. For an upper tooth, apply pressure above the tooth, for a lower tooth, apply pressure on the area of the gums below the tooth. Rinse your mouth gently with warm water if there's swelling and then apply a cold compress to the area. If, after you have had damage to a tooth, you find a piece of a broken or chipped tooth, bring the piece or pieces with you when you go to the dentist. Many times the dentist can repair the tooth with these broken pieces, since he has the required skills and equipment. It is cheaper and easier than replacing the tooth to have him cement them back together. However, the dentist can just as easily make a new filling for your tooth, so don't bother bringing lost fillings if you find them. You have to be careful if you have jagged edges on a tooth that was chipped or broken. Sharp ends often irritate the surrounding soft tissue of the mouth and can cause a great deal of pain. As an emergency measure, to prevent this, press a small piece of soft wax into the damaged area. You can prevent unneccessary damage to your gums with this method until you can see the dentist and he can file down the edge when he sees you. If you must eat, eat only soft foods until you've be seen by your dentist. Also be sure to chew on the opposite side of the mouth from the damaged tooth. If you chew on the damaged tooth you will cause further irritation and perhaps even infection, resulting in further damage or tooth loss. Also avoid extremely hot or extremely cold food. Foods that have extreme temperatures cause further pain and can further irritate the damaged area. You want to make sure that the gums around the tooth close up and the blood is able to coagulate. This is because there is a lot of blood in the area of the gums. Avoid taking any aspirin products because they will interfere with the blood coagulation factor. Take Advil, Motrin or Aleve in small doses. You should be alright, as long as you don't have any allergic reactions to these OTC medications. You should be able to get this information from your pharmacist, who should have a list of the medications you take. If you follow these common-sense guidelines and take steps to repair dental damage, you will probably not lose the tooth, and you'll increase your chances of keeping the damage to a minimum. If you visit your dentist regularly, and keep your teeth healthy and clean, you'll also increase your chances of them healing quickly. |