A broken tooth can freak people out. To keep the situation under control at your home, you can follow these five steps.
Then, contact your dentist in Chula Vista for an emergency visit.
Water is what you need!
According to the ADA, cleaning the surface with warm water would help a lot.
Make sure the water is warm and not too hot.
A few gargles of warm water and casually washing the mouth will be helpful.
And, if you have collected the broken chip, wash it carefully and wrap it on a piece of paper to keep it safe.
Stop the bleeding…
If your teeth are bleeding, you need to stop blood loss. The blood loss can cause dizziness too. Use gauze and press the area for 10 minutes to stop the bleeding.
Now, if you have chipped teeth, you will need some water!
Other home remedies help to stop bleeding.
Mild salt-water rinse 10-12 times will help too.
And, you can also pour some sugar on the wound. Sugar has the capability to soak moisture which doesn’t allow any bacteria to survive.
Applying a bandage on the wound will further prevent bacteria invasion and stop bleeding.
Now, time to reduce swelling…
When the situation gets under control, and the pain is gone, reducing the swelling has to be the next task.
To reduce swelling, use an ice pack for 10 minutes.
You can also use a hot compress (take a piece of cloth and put it under an iron for 10-12 seconds until it is warm in a safe manner). Putting a hot compress will improve the blood flow and help in relieving pain.
Do not eat these foods!
Since we are not aware which part of your tooth is broken, we will only suggest it on a general basis. Avoid eating these foods and do not make things more difficult for yourself.
- Carbonated beverages because they have sugar which promotes bacteria invasion.
- No coffee and alcohol too.
- Hard foods like nuts and crackers.
- No bubblegums!
- Berries with seeds (you know which ones).
- Crispy burgers? Yes, that has to be avoided too.
Instead, you can swap these foods with healthy alternatives such as:
- Vegetable broth
- Vegetable cutlets (preferably soft ones)
- Mashed potatoes
- Yogurt
- Milkshakes
Pain killers, no?
So, we have reduced the swelling, and now we need to reduce the pain too.
You can ask for painkillers containing ibuprofen and naproxen. Also, you can easily get Aspirin and Acetaminophen in your nearest medical store
Avoid chewing from the broken tooth!
If you do not want excruciating pain and you are sensible, you will never try to chew from the side of a broken tooth.
Chewing food will put immense pressure on the broken tooth…and you might lose your tooth.
Now, when the situation gets under control, all you have to do is to calmly call your dentist in Chula Vista to book an emergency appointment.
Your dentist will further treat the chipped or broken tooth. Call us now!