Accidents can happen at any time, and those accidents could cause injuries to your teeth, gums, or soft tissues of your mouth. While you can’t always prevent accidents from happening, you can prepare for them and give yourself the best chance of getting out of them unscathed. At ZDental, we recommend putting together a dental emergency first aid kit. At our 5 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, we can provide emergency dentistry services at any time, but here are a few items you might want to put into your dental emergency first aid kit to keep yourself safe while you seek out treatment:

Dental Emergency First Aid Kit

We suggest keeping a first aid kit anywhere an accident could happen. A first aid kit at home and in the workplace is a good idea. Students may also want to keep a first aid kit in their backpack, especially if they participate in athletics. Coaches, teachers, and others who take care of children may also want to pack a first aid kid to deal with emergencies. The following items can be packed in a dedicated dental first aid kit or added to your existing first aid kit:

  • Small mirror
  • Dental floss or floss picks
  • Sterile gauze pads
  • Sealable plastic bag for disposal of biohazardous materials
  • Toothbrush
  • Aspirin or other OTC pain relievers (students may be restricted from having these in school)
  • Instant ice pack
  • Bottled water
  • Dental wax and dental filler
  • Medical exam gloves

Using Your Dental Emergency First Aid Kit

When a dental emergency occurs, your first priority should be finding a dentist to treat you and arranging for transportation. After that is taken care of, you can use your mirror to examine the problem. 

If there is bleeding, as in the case of a knocked-out tooth or a bitten tongue, you can use sterile gauze to control the bleeding. If your tooth gets knocked out, try to put it back in the socket without touching the root. Once it is in place, you can gently bite down on it with gauze between your top and bottom teeth to hold it in place while you seek medical attention. Your gloves will prevent you (or the person assisting you) from getting blood on your hands. Used gauze and gloves can be disposed of in your plastic bag, if necessary.

If you have something wedged between your teeth that is causing pain, flossing, brushing your teeth, and rinsing with water may dislodge it. For chipped or cracked teeth, dental wax or filler can stabilize them until you can get to an emergency dentist. If you are experiencing pain during a dental emergency, your pain relievers and an ice pack may be able to alleviate it and reduce swelling. 

Emergency Dentistry In New Jersey And The Philadelphia Area

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, the team at ZDental can help. Call us at (609) 587-0049 to find an emergency dentist in Trenton, NJ, or visit our contact page to find contact info for our other locations. A dental emergency can be scary, but with a little preparation and treatment from the best dentists in your area, you have nothing to worry about.