Be Ready for the Unexpected With a Dental Emergency Kit

Just like any other kind of emergency, a dental emergency can occur at any time. But, just like other medical emergencies, you can be prepared by having a dental first aid kit at the ready. So you aren’t caught unprepared, call Fox Family Dentistry at 703-978-5253 to find out what items you should include in your dental emergency kit!

Because any amount of dental pain could be a sign of a larger issue, call our Burke, VA dentist office right away if you suspect you have even a mild dental emergency. Dr. Lawrence Fox, Dr. Erik Fox, and our compassionate and professional team will do everything we can to get you a same-day appointment to get you out of pain fast.

If you call outside our normal business hours, you can still get help from us. Just stay on the line and listen for the 24-hour emergency number we provide on our answering machine.

Because dental emergencies don’t stick to a standard nine to five schedule, neither do we. Along with the more standard work hours you expect from a dentist, our office is also open:

• Early at 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday
• Late until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday
• On Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

If your dental emergency is causing you to bleed, do your best to stop it as soon as possible. If you are unable to stop the bleeding, visit your local emergency room immediately. Then, you can follow up with us to learn your restorative dentistry options for repairing your smile.

Get The Tool You’ll Need For A Dental Emergency

There are many situations where a dental emergency is obviously a possibility. Maybe you or your kids like to stay active by participating in contact sports like football or boxing, for example.

But there are a lot of different scenarios where a dental emergency could occur that may not be as obvious. You could be drowsily stumbling to the bathroom in the middle of the night and trip over the family dog. Or maybe you are having trouble opening a bottle, don’t have an opener, and decide to risk opening it with your teeth. Even an unpopped popcorn kernel could crack a tooth while you’re seeing a movie at your favorite movie theater.

You can’t prevent accidents from occurring, but you can be ready for them by getting a great dental emergency kit together. Here are just a few things that would be helpful during a dental emergency that you should think about keeping handy at home, at the office, or even in your car:

• Cotton balls and/or cotton swabs, for applying for medicine and gently cleaning areas of your mouth
• Gauze, so you can protect an injured area of your mouth from further irritation and also help stop any bleeding
• Salt, which you can combine with warm water to make a simple saline solution for rinsing your mouth out on the fly
• Over-the-counter pain relievers, to help you deal with any discomfort you may be feeling (be aware that many OTC pain relievers, like Tylenol, also act as blood thinners and could prevent clotting)
• Ice packs, to help numb pain and reduce swelling in the injured area
• Benzocaine, to numb areas of your mouth
• Nitrile gloves, to keep your fingers and your mouth safe from bacteria while treating the cause of your dental emergency
• Milk, for filling a small container to store tooth fragments in if a tooth is broken (saliva can also work in this situation)

Depending on your situation, when you arrive at our Burke, VA dentist’s office with a dental emergency, we will numb your mouth with an anesthetic before we get to work fixing your chompers. This way, you’ll get relief from pain and won’t be able to feel a thing while we complete your treatment.

If you are nervous around the dentist, a local anesthesiologist we work with can also provide various dental sedation options to relieve your dental anxiety and improve your comfort, including:

• IV sedation
• Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as “laughing gas”
• Oral conscious sedation in the form of a pill

Get the peace of mind of knowing you are ready if a dental emergency occurs by calling Fox Family Dentistry at 703-978-5253 to learn more about what goes into a good dental emergency kit. You can also swing by our conveniently located Burke, VA dentist office in person or use our handy online form to schedule or ask questions if your situation is less pressing.