What to do If You Have a Dental Emergency Over Summer Vacation

Summer is one of the busiest seasons for dental emergencies in Saginaw. Not only are kids on summer break, but adults and children are more likely to participate in outdoor activities and recreational sports. As a result, they are more likely to be involved in situations where accidents, falls, hits, and other injuries occur frequently.

Summer usually brings an increase in dental emergencies at Blue Sky Smiles, including:

Toothaches: A severe toothache may indicate a serious problem. If your tooth pain prevents you from eating or going to work, we recommend that you see our emergency dentist.

Abscessed Teeth: Dental abscesses are not only painful, but the infection can spread quickly if endodontic therapy is not used (root canal treatment.)

Fractured Teeth: Broken or chipped teeth are extremely sensitive and require immediate treatment to prevent pain, further decay, and infection.

Tooth Avulsion (Knocked Out Teeth): While a knocked-out tooth cannot always be
saved, Dr. Robinson will do everything possible to replace it. Endodontic treatment is
usually required.

Prevent Emergencies Before They Happen

Fortunately, the majority of dental emergencies are avoidable. In addition to maintaining
your routine exams, it’s important to remember to wear your sports mouthguard whenever you are outside with the kids, on the trampoline, or doing your usual exercise routine.

Start flossing daily, even if you haven’t done so previously. Food can get lodged beneath the gums or between the teeth, where it can cause swelling and discomfort.

Popcorn kernels are a common example. Tie a knot in your flossing string and run it through your teeth from one side to the other to remove stuck-on food. Flossing is commonly thought to pull out dental work, but this is simply not true. If flossing moves a crown or filling out of place, it is already loose and will fall out. It’s not flossing that you have to worry about!

Treating Pain Until You Can See Our Dentist

In the unfortunate event that you do experience a summertime dental emergency, here are a few things you can do to reduce pain until you can visit our office.

Take ibuprofen (Motrin) or other over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication as directed.

● Every 20 minutes, alternately apply a cold compress to that side of your mouth.
● Eat on the opposite side of your mouth as much as possible.
● Rinse with warm salt water several times per day to aid in the removal of
infection and inflammation.
● Clean and floss around your gumlines on a daily basis, as this is where plaque
bacteria tend to congregate the most.
● Make your own “miracle mouthwash” without the prescription lidocaine for soft-
tissue injuries like rashes, ulcers, or trauma.

Please keep in mind that none of these do-it-yourself toothache/emergency dental therapies are intended to provide long-term relief. The goal is to relieve your pain until we can see you in our office.

Don’t Wait! Call Us Today

It may appear impossible to find an emergency dentist on short notice, but that is not the case at Blue Sky Smiles. Call our office right away if you need to see an emergency dentist.