Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies are unplanned and incredibly stressful! Maybe you were playing basketball with your friends, you tripped over a rug, or even got hit in the face. You’re suddenly in a situation you haven’t at all prepared for. This isn’t the case for patients of Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania. We’ve put together this simple guide of dental emergencies and what to do while you wait. Learn more by contacting our offices in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights, PA.

 

You need to contact our offices right away when an accident occurs. This is the only way to guarantee that our surgeons can see you. If for some reason there isn’t any availability, consider going to your local emergency room. Otherwise, follow this advice:

 

-Disconnected crowns: find the crown and try to place it back on. You’ll need to keep it in place until the appointment. Try using over-the-counter denture cream.

-Missing filling: see if you can locate the filling. Your dentist may need this. Otherwise, protect the uncovered tooth with sugarless gum.

-Unrelenting toothache: many toothaches are caused by objects irritating the teeth. Thoroughly clean the area surrounding the hurt tooth. See if any food or debris comes loose. If pain is still felt afterward, call our office.

-Chipped or broken tooth: it’s important to save as much of the natural tooth as possible. Gather the fragments, washing your mouth out to grab other pieces. You’ll need to apply an icepack to keep the swelling down. Remember to switch the icepack out every 15 minutes or so.

-Dislocated tooth: if your tooth is partially knocked out, but not all the way, avoid touching it at all cost. You want to keep as much of the roots and tissues alive as possible. You must keep the swelling down. Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication to help.

-Knocked-out tooth: find the tooth and clean it. See if it will fit back into place. If not, place the tooth in cold milk or salt-water. This keeps the tissue alive. Your oral surgeon will do the best they can to reattach it.

 

Contact  Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennslyvania right away during a dental emergency. We will see you as soon as we possibly can. Our offices are located in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights, PA. To schedule an appointment, visit our website at https://www.oralsurgerypa.com/

Mouth Guard Usage

Proper use of athletic mouthguards is one of the most important parts of oral health maintenance. At Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania, we hate to see a patient’s restorations destroyed and hope that most people won’t need their teeth repaired in the first place. Keeping safe during exercise and sports significantly reduces the odds of a dental emergency.

The better-fitted a mouthguard is, the less bulky it needs to be and the better protection it provides. Athletic stores and online retailers sell boil-and-bite mouthguards, which can easily be adjusted. These are particularly advantageous for kids and people undergoing orthodontic correction, since their teeth are rapidly shifting position. It is also possible to have a permanent, customized mouthguard fabricated, often with a dentist’s input. A properly-fitted mouthguard shouldn’t cause breathing problems.

Mouthguards are mandatory for most organized sports, and dentists also recommend them while cycling, skating, or tumbling. The mouthguard and its case need to be cleaned with each use to prevent oral infections and foul odors, after which they need to be patted dry. They also need to be kept out of high temperatures to avoid accidental reshaping.

Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania operate in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights. Visit Oral Surgery PA or call 215-463-4141.

 

Avoiding Dry Sockets

We’re proud to say that dry sockets are rare at Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania. This complication following a tooth extraction is extremely unpleasant, but it is also avoidable in most cases if the patient follows simple instructions. Although only about 2-5% of people who get extractions suffer from dry sockets, we wanted our patients to better understand them so that if they get an extraction, they won’t be hearing their post-operative instructions for the first time.

A simple extraction is one in which the tooth is rocked until it can be lifted out with forceps. Complex extractions involve gum incisions and may require the tooth to be sectioned. A dry socket can result from either, though it is more commonly from the latter. Usually, blood clots would close off the empty socket, protecting it from irritating debris and pathogens, but sometimes the blood may fail to clot or the scab may come loose. If this happens, the socket will dry out painfully and be at risk for infection.

Three of the biggest risk factors for dry sockets are smoking, birth control pills, and the use of straws. The estrogen in pills can prevent blood from clotting, while smoking can dissolve the clot and suction can pull it loose. We also advise patients to avoid brushing near the extraction site on the first day after the procedure and to avoid solid foods. The socket may be cleaned with a salt water rinse.

Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania operate in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights. Visit Oral Surgery PA or call 215-463-4141.