While dental emergencies may not be a common occurrence for everyone, it’s important to be prepared for any oral health situation. Here, we explain three ways to prepare for a dental emergency.
1. Know How To Handle Common Dental Emergencies
While you might not be able to prepare for every single dental emergency, it would be helpful to learn how to handle some of the most common dental emergencies to better safeguard yourself. For example: if you chip your tooth, save any pieces that came off and rinse both your mouth and the tooth pieces with warm water. Some other common dental emergencies you might want to read about include knocked-out teeth, a bad toothache, a lost filling or crown, and an abscess. The more you learn now, the better prepared you’ll be should something happen in the future.
2. Make Sure You Are Stocked Up On Helpful Materials
Half of being prepared in a dental emergency is having the right supplies on hand. One of the most important materials you can keep with you at all times is your dental healthcare insurance card. You never know when an emergency might happen, so it’s smart to keep your insurance card either with you or in a specific place so you know where to find it.
Beyond the insurance card, there are a number of household items that you should make sure to keep in stock. Sterile gloves are important because if something happens to your tooth—like if it gets knocked out or damaged—you’ll want to handle the tooth without worrying about contaminating it. Acetaminophen is also important to have in your house to take if your dental emergency is especially painful. Aspirin and ibuprofen aren’t great to take in an emergency because these can thin the blood. Saltwater is another great tool for dental emergencies such as an abscess, while materials like a small container with a lid, handkerchief, gauze, and a cold compress are great to have around as well.
3. Program Our Phone Number Into Your Phone
You should always call us if you’re having a dental emergency, and the easiest way to do that is by programming our phone number into your cell’s contacts so you don’t have to look it up online when you’re in the middle of an emergency.
Contact us for more information about how to prepare for a dental emergency!
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