Holiday Dental Emergencies - Advice from Absolute Dental

The holiday season is well and truly upon us, and many of us are planning our holidays, or having visitors to stay over the next few weeks. Lets hope the sun stays for a little while longer!

When we think about our summer holidays we plan everything down to the last detail with clothing, sun cream, books and medicines. But have you ever wondered what to do in case of a dental emergency for you or one of your visitors?

Here is some practical advice from the team at Absolute Dental:

Any dental emergency like an injury to the teeth or gums can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem can increase the risk of permanent damage as well as the need for more extensive and expensive treatment later on.

• Toothache. First, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to gently remove any lodged food that could be causing the problem. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. Normal analgesics (as used for a headache) and be taken as required. Contact a dentist as soon as possible.
• Chipped or broken teeth. Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to remove any tooth fragments. If there's bleeding, apply a clean handkerchief to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain. Normal analgesics (as used for a headache) and be taken as required. Contact a dentist as soon as possible.
• Knocked-out tooth. Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is usually exposed in the mouth), and rinse off the tooth root with water if it's dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put the tooth back in place. Make sure it's facing the right way. Never force it into the socket. If it's not possible to reinsert the tooth in the socket, put the tooth in a small container of milk (or cup of water that contains a pinch of table salt, if milk is not available). In all cases, see a dentist as quickly as possible. Knocked out teeth with the highest chances of being saved are those seen by the dentist and returned to their socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.
• Extruded (partially dislodged) tooth. See a dentist right away. Until you reach a dental practice, to relieve pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area.
• Objects caught between teeth. First, try using dental floss to very gently and carefully remove the object. If you can't get the object out, see your dentist. Never use a pin, tweezers or other sharp object to poke at the stuck object. These instruments can cut your gums or scratch your tooth surface.
• Lost filling. As a temporary measure, stick a piece of sugar free gum into the cavity  or use an over-the-counter temporary dental filling material. See your dentist as soon as possible.
• Lost crown. If the crown falls off, make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible and bring the crown with you. If possible, slip the crown back over the tooth. Before doing so, coat the inner surface with an over-the-counter dental cement, toothpaste, or denture adhesive, to help hold the crown in place. Do not use super glue!
• Broken braces and wires. If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket or band and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, try using the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire into a more comfortable position. If you can't reposition the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or piece of gauze until you can get to see your orthodontist. Never cut the wire yourself!
• Abscess. Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection possibly spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated.
  
  Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, see your dentist as soon as possible if you discover a white head like swelling on your gum that usually is painful. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a hot salt water mouth wash (1-2 teaspoon of table salt in a cup of boiled water from the kettle, allow this to cool to avoid burning) several times a day.
• Soft-tissue injuries. Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, follow these tips:
  1. Rinse your mouth with a hot salt water mouth was (see above).
  2. Use a moistened piece of gauze apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. To both control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. If the bleeding doesn't stop, see your dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency department. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze until you can be seen and treated.

We hope this practical advice can just be kept for reference, but you never know when it might come in handy.

For more advice on management of dental injuries in children, please ask for one of our reference sheets when you are next in the practice.

Di

Absolute Dental Raises over £900 for St Lukes Hospice in the Midnight Walk

As some of you may have heard the ladies here at Absolute Dental took part in the St Luke’s Hospice Midnight Walk on Saturday 19th July, walking 15 miles around Plymouth, starting at the University of St Mark & St John at 10pm.  

We all made an effort with fancy dress of tutus, tiaras and glitter, on arrival there was merchandise to purchase to further add to your fancy dress. The only rule seemed to be that it HAD to be pink! Diane made an incredible effort topping her outfit off with flashing noodle hair!

The atmosphere at the University was great with opportunities to have your photo taken with a cuddly character or your face painted and hair styled. Music was playing and room buzzed with excitement as 1200 ladies prepared for the 15 mile challenge.

Soon it was time for our safety briefing and warm up before setting out from the start line, the glorious sunshine and warmth of the day made a lovely warm, dry evening which was perfect for walking. Our route took us all over Plymouth with wonderful marshals helping us along by directing, assisting, encouraging, handing out bottles of water and most importantly sweets! The walk most definitely wouldn’t be possible without these wonderful people.
We crossed the finish line at 2.20am finishing our walk in 4 hours 20 minutes, again the atmosphere at the finish line was fantastic, marshals and organisers who had now been standing outside for hours welcomed us in with cheers and celebrations, we were each awarded with a medal and better still a ticket for a slice of pizza which Dominoes had kindly donated for each participant.

The evening was enjoyed by all, 2451 ladies took part in the various walk distances (there was a 7 or 3 mile option too) and an amazing £200,000 is estimated to have been raised in total. Here at the practice we raised over £900 for the charity so a huge thank you goes to all our friends, family and lovely patients who sponsored us and also to the organisers of the event for doing such a fantastic job making the evening enjoyable for all and raising a tremendous amount of money for the charity.

 

Kingsbridge Fair Week: Something to Smile about!

It’s that time of year again when Kingsbridge prepares for Fair Week which runs from Sat 19^th to Sat 26^th July.

This year will start with a bang with the annual fireworks display which is scheduled to start around 10 pm on the 19 ^th; it is always worth staying up for.

As usual there will be something for everyone from live music, competitions and dog shows to displays from local clubs.

Are you feeling fit and want to take part in the fun run or the Kingsbridge 10K race?

Or are you more of a three legged race type of person?

Well if there is Pimms on offer on the Quay, I know where I will be.

Whatever you fancy it’s all about fun!

And it does not get more fun than watching the raft race which this year will take place on Sun 20^th at 1pm.

This is my family’s favourite as my husband always takes part. I am sworn to secrecy as to which costumes they will be wearing this time but I can tell you that it is a black and white animal that is often thought to be wearing a dinner suit…(don’t worry darling, they’ll never guess).

You are bound to see some of our nurses rushing around town trying to find odd objects at shop windows, believe it or not, the competition can get pretty fierce.

All the scheduled events for the week are in the official programmes you get buy from the tourist office or the news agents or go to www.kingsbridgefairweek.co.uk.

Whatever you decide to do during fair week, make sure you do it with a great big smile.

 

Melanie

Absolute Dental Team taking part in St Lukes Hospice Midnight Walk

At 10pm on Saturday the 19th July 2014, myself and an all female team from Absolute Dental will be beginning our 15 mile walk around Plymouth, taking part in the Midnight Walk in aid of raising money for St Lukes Hospice. 

To ensure we are able to make the 15 miles, we have been training! Gradually building ourselves up to our 15mile target!  

The training is going really well! We have been on a number of 8-12 mile walks in and around Dartmoor, Salcombe, Kingsbridge and the South Hams.

Its a been a fab opportunity to get out with the girls in this glorious weather and explore the beautiful countryside... I have loved it! I had forgotten how much I enjoy going on nice long walk until now! There is nothing more fulfilling than heading off with great company, taking in some of the most fantastic views. It really makes you feel lucky to live in Devon.

Although the we are not going to see much in the dark on the night of the Midnight Walk, I am expecting the night to be as enjoyable as our training sessions have been so far! Although it is going to be a tiring, long night, the thought of who we are doing it for will keep us going! I am excited to experience the buzzing atmosphere, achieve my 15 mile goal with my team mates and supporting each other to the very end! Wish us luck - or even better, you can sponsor us at https://mnw2014.everydayhero.com/uk/diane-1 

Baby Boom!

I seem to have lots of friends around me currently currently who are either trying to start a family or are expecting a baby.

It is easy for us as Absolute to give you vital help and advice once pregnant in the best way to look after your mouth throughout the pregnancy to reduce such things as pregnancy gingivitis (which 50-70%of pregnant Mums get).

It is much more difficult for us to give advice if you are planning a family however as frequently we are not aware of this.

Periodontal disease can affect a woman's chance of conception.

Women with periodontal disease take an average of 2 months longer to conceive, compared to women with good oral health.

Infertility in the presence of periodontal disease may be due to the same chain of events that lead other researchers to link periodontitis to systemic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

A recent study was presented to the European Society of Human reproduction proposes that periodontitis has the same order of effect on infertility as obesity.

Whilst these studies are yet inconclusive the message is so clear.

Women trying to conceive need to ensure their oral health is in good order.

 

Emma x