Tooth injuries can be extremely painful, and take a long time to treat. For this reason, all injuries to the teeth should be checked by a dentist or hospital dental department as soon as possible. One of the most serious things that can happen is for the injury to impair breathing. With any trauma to the mouth or teeth, you must ensure the victim can breathe properly.
Injuries to the teeth can happen in a self-defense situation, other emergency, or even in training. Trust me, I’ve learned a lot due to a family member’s tooth injury, and you really want to take care of your teeth, and if injured get attention as quickly as possible.
The following should be done immediately, or as soon as possible:
- Clear broken teeth and blood from the mouth with your fingers.
- If the victim is conscious and has no other serious injuries, sit him in a chair with his head tilted forward over a bowl or basin.
- Call 911 and ask for an ambulance, or drive the victim to your local hospital. He should travel sitting up, learning over the bowl.
- Never allow a person who is bleeding from the mouth to lie on his back, because he may choke on the blood.
Obviously, this if for serious injuries to the teeth, not little blood we spit out when hit in the mouth during training. (Or even after real fights.) We do need to be able to tell the difference between serious injuries and minor ones. If you are uncertain how bad it is, err on the side of caution and be sure to get yourself, or the person you are helping, medical attention to be sure.
When a tooth has been knocked out
If a tooth is knocked out completely, there may be profuse bleeding from the socket.
- Make a pad slightly larger than the socket from sterile gauze or other clean material. The pad should project slightly above the level of the surrounding teeth.
- Get the victim to put it over the socket and bite on it firmly, spitting out any blood that leaks through.
- If the bleeding still does not stop, call your dentist and ask for emergency treatment, or go to the emergency department of your local hospital.
Saving a knocked-out tooth
It is sometimes possible to save a tooth that has been knocked out of its socket.
The roots must be kept moist, so wrap the tooth in a piece of sterile gauze or clean cloth, dampen it, and place it is a container over ice for the trip to the hospital or dentist.
Some dentists provide these steps to save a tooth:
If your tooth does end up on the ground, the first step is: Find the tooth! This might be harder than it sounds, especially if you are a little dazed by what just happened, but have others help you.
If you can, gently place the tooth back in its socket and hold it there until you get to the dentist. Try to place the tooth back in the mouth where it fell out, so it is level with other teeth. This is a little easier with front teeth. Bite down gently on gauze or a wet tea bag to help keep it in place. Be careful not to swallow the tooth.
If this is not possible:
- Hold the tooth by the crown – not the roots
- DO NOT rinse the tooth with water (or anything else) because biological agents on the surface of the roots may help them reattach in the mouth
- Do keep it moist. Your saliva is actually the best wetting agent, so either hold it in your mouth or spit into a container and put the tooth in it
- If milk happens to be available, it is a good solution for keeping a tooth moist
What about a toothache?
Obviously, see a dentist as soon as possible. The level of pain will dictate the immediacy of seeing a dentist, but I do recommend not to wait too long, even if the pain doesn’t seem too severe. If it’s at night or on the weekend, look for dentists offering emergency services. (This will probably cost a lot, so some will want to consider that, but don’t let money, or lack of it, result in worse damage to your teeth or health.)
While waiting to see the dentist, relieve pain with analgesics such as aspirin in recommended doses. Other things you can try are holding a mouthful of ice-cold water or a mouthful of hot, salty water (one teaspoon of salt in a glass of water). Hold the water in your mouth for at least five minutes, spitting it out and renewing it as necessary, and repeat the treatment every 2 to 3 hours.
Bottom Line
Tooth injuries and toothaches can be extremely painful, and they can be very serious. Do what you can immediately, and seek professional medical attention as soon as possible.