First Aid for Dental Emergencies

Things that need emergency dental and/or first aid care include:

• Broken tooth
• Knocked-out tooth
• Fractured jaw
• Abscess tooth (inflammation and/or infection in the bone and/or the tooth’s canals)
• Toothache

Prevention

To protect your teeth:

• Brush with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
• Floss daily.
• See your dentist for regular dental cleanings and check-ups.
• Don’t chew ice, pens, or pencils.
• Don’t use your teeth to open paper clips or function as tools.
• If you smoke a pipe, don’t bite down on the stem.
• If you grind your teeth at night, ask your dentist if you should be fitted for a bite plate to
  prevent tooth grinding.
• If you play contact sorts like football or hockey, wear a protective mouth guard.
• Always wear a seat belt when riding in a car.
• Avoid sucking on lemons or chewing aspirin or vitamin C tablets. The acid wears away tooth
  enamel.

Even when these preventive measures are taken, you may encounter toothaches and other dental
emergencies.

First Aid

First Aid for a toothache (until you get professional help):

• To reduce pain, take aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium. (Note: Do not give
  aspirin or any medication that has salicylates to anyone under age 19, unless a doctor tells you
  to.) Hold an ice pack on the jaw.
• Never place a crushed aspirin on the tooth. Aspirin burns the gum and destroys tooth enamel.
• Do not drink very hot or cold liquids.
• Do not chew gum.
• Avoid sweets, soft drinks and hot and spicy foods. (These can irritate cavities and increase
  pain.) It may be best not to eat at all until your see your dentist.
• Gargle with warm salt water every hour.
• For a cavity, pack it with a piece of sterile cotton soaked in oil of cloves (available at
  drugstores).
• See a dentist even if the pain subsides.