That sickly crunching feeling you get in your mouth when something is wrong with a tooth! We’ve all felt it. Of course, when it occurs, you must know what action to take. If you want to minimize any problems and get your oral health back to normal as quickly as possible. Happily, that is the precise topic of this post, so keep on reading to discover more about oral health first aid.
Why does it hurt?
The first thing you need to do is identify why your tooth (or mouth is hurting). Of course, the pain you feel will usually make you stop what you are doing to check. Although, it can be hard to see if you have chipped a tooth, especially if it’s in an area of the mouth that is not easily accessible. Therefore, if you can, check to see what’s happening in a mirror as this will give you the best chance of identifying the issue.
Now, a chip will be reasonably obvious, but not every oral health problem presents in such a noticeable way. In fact, you could have decay inside a tooth that is almost unnoticeable from the outside. To that end, if you are suffering from pain, but can’t identify the reason don’t hesitate to contact you dental professional for a check-up.
What can I do?
Sometimes we can deal with the things that cause us tooth pain ourselves. I’m referring to things like tooth sensitivity that can be treated with a special paste, or even particles of food getting trapped between two teeth or the tooth and gums. Something that can be solved in the short term by flossing and in the long run by avoiding that type of food.
Of course, more significant issues such as chips and cavities cannot be dealt with without professional help. They are very unlikely to get better on their own as well, which makes it all the more crucial to see someone as quickly as possible.
Seeing a medical professional
When you first go to see a dental professional about your tooth pain, you can expect them to ask what you believe the problem to be. They will then perform a thorough examination to help work out what is causing your discomfort.
Once they have established what the problem is, you can expect them to offer you a treatment that will resolve it as well. Of course, this will differ depending on the issue you are suffering. With dental crowns being provided for lost, broken, or removed teeth being one of the most frequent treatments. You can also expect possible removals, or fillings depending on the issue you are suffering from. All of which are designed to eliminate any pain and minimize the problem once they have healed.
Maintaining oral health
After you have received the appropriate treatment, it is up to you to take better care of your teeth. Of course, that means brushing after every meal as well as investing in an air flosser too. If you want to avoid any oral health first aid issues in the future, that is!