Tag: wound care

How to deal with cuts and minor soft tissues in and around the mouth

Swollen lip can occur due to direct trauma
~ emergencydentists1

 

There are many reasons why you may get cuts and soft tissue injuries in and around the mouth, including trauma and unexpected reasons like sharp pieces of food or unexpected foreign objects in food (like bone).

The main types of wounds to be expected are cuts, grazes, minor lacerations, puncture wounds. They can be very painful as the wound stretches during normal function and can also sting and bleed profusely.

The wounds generally tend to bleed a lot because the mouth is very heavily vascularised, and the bleeding can sometimes be surprising as it is not proportional to the size of the injury. As the blood mixes with saliva, it can appear even more serious than it really is.

Management is fairly straight forward. Most minor injuries in the mouth will heal of their own accord over the course of a few days.

First, don’t panic.

  1. Try to keep the area clean. Bathe the area with warm salty water or an antiseptic mouthwash
  2. Bleeding normally stops after a few minutes of compression with some clean gauze or cotton. If you don’t have access, a clean tea bag will do the job
  3. Avoid spicy and hot food-these will probably sting.
  4. Use painkillers if required.
Swollen lip can occur due to direct trauma
Cuts and swollen lips and mouth

If you find that the wound and pain is not improving after a few days, or if you are having difficulty stopping bleeding, then you should see your emergency dentist. Control of bleeding is a real dental emergency, and if necessary arrange to see a 24 hour dentist.

The emergency dentist will assess why your wound is not healing or stopping bleeding. To help stop bleeding, especially if the wound is deep, your dentist may apply chemicals to help or place stitches.

If the wound is not healing, the emergency dentist may check for infection. This is more common if the wound has not been cared for, if you smoke, if the wound is very deep or if you have underlying medical conditions.

Please do not place clove oil on wounds, it burns the tissue and you will find it more painful than necessary.

If you have suffered trauma that has caused the wound, you may need to go to A/E for further follow-up, including tetanus shots.

How to find a 24 hour dentist or an emergency dentist

emergency dentists in London, 24 hour dentist North London
~ emergencydentists1 ~ 4 Comments

 

Any unforeseen dental mishap can be classed as a dental emergency. You don’t have to be in pain-any situation that stresses you, has the likelihood of being to your detriment if left untreated, causes pain or affects not just form but function, can necessitate a visit to an emergency dentist.

There are some instances where it may be more sensible to go to hospital in the first instance. These include if you have suffered a trauma or medical condition that has caused other more serious injuries or loss of consciousness. It’s important to prioritize your health. In addition, if you are experiencing symptoms of a spreading infection like a very high fever or severe difficulties breathing, then a trip to hospital may be more appropriate in the first instance.

If you are fortunate enough not to require immediate medical help, then finding an emergency dentist can be fairly straight forward. Emergency dentist Essex and Emergency Dentist Hertfordshire can help with 24 hour emergency dental appointments for toothache, root canal treatments and teeth extractions, as well as swollen faces and dental abscess.

  1. Initially, call your own dentist and follow the advice on their answerphone. They may give details of emergency dentist arrangements in-house.

    Phone number for emergency dentists
    How to contact an emergency dentist
  2. If you are here in the UK, and you are a NHS patient, then call NHS emergency dental services. They may be able to help with dental emergencies, but do note that this service is often oversubscribed, they have limited slots available and they have a strict criteria for what constitutes a dental emergency. You will be assessed on the phone by a triage professional, and you may be offered an emergency slot at a clinic, but this may not be local to you and may not be on the same day.NHS England do provide a dental emergency helpline
  3. Private services are available and generally can deal with most dental emergencies. They will be more likely to provide you with an immediate appointment, and the costs although aren’t necessarily expensive, and should not be prohibitive. In order to minimise your cost and treatment, you are well within your rights to ask for all options available and the costs involved, and to do only what addresses your immediate concerns. Private services can be recommended by your own dentist’s emergency arrangement information, recommendation from a friend or by searching on the internet. A good guide if you want to find an emergency dentists near me. To find an emergency dentist in London, Yell is a very good source, and is also useful for finding an emergency dentist North London.

    Emergency dentists can be found online.
    Searching online for an emergency dentists needn’t be stressful
  4. Dental insurance providers. If you have dental insurance, try calling your provider, as some may be able to recommend clinics that they know of or are preferred providers. This also gives you an opportunity to ask exactly what kind of treatment, and how much you are covered for. Denplan, Dencover and Boots all have dental emergency insurance cover. Please retain all receipts and ask the dentist to provide an itemized invoice confirming that the visit was for an emergency.

How to take care of a wound following a dental extraction (tooth removal)

Emergency dentist London and emergency dentist Hertfordshire. Proving 24 hour emergency dentists in Essex
~ emergencydentists1 ~ 1 Comment

 

Having had a tooth removed, you’ve really only won half the battle. It is important to follow your dentist’s after care instructions to help minimize the risk of complications and to also aid a speedy recovery.

Here are some tips to help you feel better quicker!

  1. Expect some bleeding. You have a wound in your mouth and you shouldn’t worry if there’s a little oozing or weeping. If you are experiencing heavy and continuous bleeding, then roll up a clean piece of cotton gauze, a tea towel or tampon and place it over the wound. Apply firm pressure by biting or pushing down with your fingers-sustained pressure for 15-20 minutes will stop the majority of all bleeds. If it is still bleeding copiously after this, then you need to contact your 24 hour dentist or emergency dentist.

    control-bleeding-after-tooth-extraction
    Biting hard with cotton gauze can help stop dental bleeding
  2. Avoid hard foods, hot foods and drinks and rigorous rinsing of the mouth for 24 hours. All of these can allow the clot to dislodge, which in turn will lead to bleeding and potentially infections like dry socket.
  3. No smoking- be religious! Pack them away forever or five days as a minimum. It’s the most common cause for pain and infection following a dental extraction.

    no smoking after dental extraction
    No smoking after dental extraction
  4. Keep the area clean. Grandma’s favourite-2 or 3 spoons of salt mixed with a tumbler of warm water held in your mouth over the wound until the warm water goes cold. Do this 5 or 6 times a day, the day following the extraction, and continue for 5 to 6 days.
  5. A bit of swelling is to be expected- you’ve had a part of your body removed and it is part of the healing process. The swelling may increase slightly for the first 2-3 days and then subside quickly. Ice packs or a pack of frozen peas, can be applied to help. If you have an increasing swelling 3 days after the extraction, then contact your dentist for a review.

    ice pack to help with swelling
    An ice pack can help with swelling
  6. Again, some discomfort or pain is normal for the first 48 hours and it should respond well to painkillers like ibuprofen or paracetamol-avoid aspirin. If your pain is not reducing following the second day, it’s best to be reassessed or to contact an emergency dentist to check that there are no infections.
  7. Exercise- avoid any rigorous exercise for the next 2-3 days, especially if you have stitches. You can open the wound up or dislodge the clot-not worth the pain and your 6 pack won’t suffer in 2 days.
  8. Alcohol- avoid drinking for 24 hours following having a tooth removed. This can delay healing.
  9. Brushing-You still got to look after the rest of them, just avoid the extraction site.