Dental Emergency

Accidents happen, and knowing what to do when one occurs can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth.

Here are some tips for common dental emergencies: 

• For a knocked-out permanent or adult tooth, keep it moist at all times. If you can, try placing the tooth back in the socket without touching the root. If that’s not possible, place it in between your cheek and gums, in milk, or use a tooth preservation product that has the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Then, get to your dentist’s office right away. 
• For a cracked tooth, immediately rinse the mouth with warm water to clean the area. Put cold compresses on the face to keep any swelling down. 
• If you bite your tongue or lip, clean the area gently with water and apply a cold compress. 
• For toothaches, rinse the mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss to remove any food caught between the teeth. Do not put aspirin on the aching tooth or gum tissues. 
• For objects stuck in the mouth, try to gently remove with floss but do not try to remove it with sharp or pointed instruments. 

When you have a dental emergency, it’s important to visit your dentist or an emergency room as soon as possible.

Here are some simple precautions you can take to avoid accident and injury to the teeth:   

• Wear a mouthguard when participating in sports or recreational activities. 
• Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack a tooth. 
• Use scissors, NEVER your teeth, to cut things. 

Most dentists reserve time in their daily schedules for emergency patients. Call your dentist and provide as much detail as possible about your condition.

The above article is from mouthhealthy.org

Connecticut Family Dental  
171 Grandview Avenue, Suite 103  
Waterbury, CT 06708  
(203) 574-2725  
www.CTFDental.com

COVID-19 Pre-Screening Questionnaire

Here at Connecticut Family Dental, our goal is to provide a safe environment for our patients and staff, and to advance the safety of our local community.  

Patient disclosure form seeks information from you that we must consider before making treatment decisions in the circumstances of the COVID-19 virus.  

We thanks you for taking the time to complete the mandatory COVID-19 Pre-Screening Questionnaire.

In our efforts to make your dental visits safe and for the safety of our staff and patients, here are a few additional measures we are requesting your support with:

• Mask:  We request our patients to come to their dental visits with a mask.
• Car: To adhere to social distancing guidelines, seating in our reception is reduced.  Please stay in your car.  Our team will call and request you to come in soon as the staff and doctors are ready.  In the case this is not an option, we will do our best to accommodate you in our reception.  
• Parent/Guardian:  Unless you are accompanying a child or the patient that needs assistance, we request you to come alone to your dental visit.  
• Review Pre-Screening Questionnaire:  Our staff will re-review the same questions from the pre-screening questionnaire to make sure nothing has changed since the forms were completed.
• Hand-sanitizers:  Hand sanitizers will be available to use and so are the restrooms if you prefer to wash your hands.  We request use of either before handing iPADs (to complete additional forms if required), pens, clipboard, water cups, credit card terminals etc. 
• Temperature:  Our team will record your temperature and summon the clinical team for your treatment.  

We thank you in advance for helping us make our practice a safe environment for yourselves, other patients and our staff.

  

Sports Safety: Avoiding Tooth and Mouth Injuries

A few years ago, a dental newsletter published what seemed like an unusual story. A boy snagged his teeth on a basketball net while doing a slam-dunk.

A freakish accident? Not quite. After the article appeared, nearly 40 dentists wrote in with their own stories. They all told of would-be Michael Jordans who sacrificed their front teeth in pursuit of the perfect dunk.
In older children and adults, sports injuries are common. Dentists estimate that between 13% and 39% of dental injuries occur while playing sports.
About 80% of all dental injuries affect at least one of the front teeth. Damage to the tongue or cheek is common, too.
Basic Protection
Even if a tooth has been knocked out, it often can be saved if you get to a dentist quickly enough. Minor chips and cracks can be repaired. Dentists use tooth-colored materials that are nearly as strong as the original tooth. However, even "minor" injuries can cause serious and costly damage. If you enjoy sports or other high-risk activities, protect yourself. The use of mouth guards among football players, for example, is believed to prevent about 200,000 mouth injuries a year.
Depending on the sport, two types of protection are available:

• Helmets- A helmet is a must for activities that involve speed or impact. These include football, hockey, skating and bike riding. The helmet should fit correctly. It should also be appropriate for the sport you are playing.
• Mouth guards - Wearing a mouth guard is one of the best ways to prevent injury to your teeth, tongue and lips. A custom-fit mouth guard from your dentist is recommended. This type of mouth guard usually fits better than a ready-made one (found in sporting-goods stores). That means it may protect your teeth better.

If a custom-fit mouth guard isn't an option, try a "boil-and-bite" mouth guard. You can buy one in a sporting-goods store. You place the mouth guard in boiling water. Once the plastic is soft (but not too hot), you bite down on the mouth guard and mold the softened plastic around your teeth. If the mouth guard doesn't fit comfortably the first time, you can reheat it and do it again.

©2002-2013 Aetna, Inc. All rights reserved.
09/25/2013

The above article is from: Colgate.com

Connecticut Family Dental  
171 Grandview Avenue, Suite 103  
Waterbury, CT 06708  
(203) 574-2725  
www.CTFDental.com