Dental Advice, Seattle Washington

Dental Advice

What you should do when your dentists not in the office.

The very best way to handle a possible dental emergency is to prevent it from happening in the first place.

A dental emergency can be a very stressful situation, but it can quickly become nerve racking if your dentist is out of town on vacation or on a business trip. There are some basic things that you can do to prevent or cope with dental emergencies when they occur.

The best way to handle a potential dental emergency is to avoid one from ever occurring in the first place. The most common dental problem is swelling or pain from an infected tooth. In most cases, this does not happen immediately, or overnight. In general, a person has some degree of pain or discomfort for several days or even longer before they are in severe pain and in need of emergency dental care. The best thing you can do, is to got to the dentist if the have any pain or swelling. Some people think that if the ignore a dental problem, it will go away, but this is almost never the case. In just about all dental cases, dental problems become worse over time without treatment. There is also a benefit to treating a dental infection before it flares up, because then the dentist can manage it with maximum comfort to the patient. There are several things that you can do if a dental problem arises when your dentist is out of town for business or vacation. Discomfort and pain can generally be taken care of with over the counter pain relief medicine, such as Advil, Aleve, or Tylenol. Rinsing with warm salt water (a teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of water) can give temporary relief from puffy or swollen cheeks and gums. Some store brought products like Orajel can also be effective in relieving minor soreness of the gums. If a tooth is broken, a piece of wax or even some soft chewing gum can cover a sharp edge until you can get to the dentist.

Your dentist should be available for giving you advice, if a dental emergency occurs. Dr. Shawn Keller carries a cell phone with him at all times so patients can reach him when he is not in the office. This enables Dr. Keller contact the pharmacy for pain relief medicine should he feel that his patient requires them. If your Seattle dentist is going to be out of the office on a business or vacation trip for more than a few days, he or she should have another dentist available to treat any dental emergencies that may occur.