A mouth injury is any type of problem that affects the inside of your mouth, including your gums and teeth. There are a long list of issues that can occur and worsen if they are not addressed appropriately. It’s never a good idea to ignore a dental issue, even if you think it’s a problem that will heal on its own. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of learning how to handle an injury, especially if it’s a pediatric dental problem. The information below will shed light on what should be done when mouth injuries occur. Of critical importance is making sure you visit your dentist when necessary.

Soft Tissue Mouth Injuries

There are many ways in which a soft tissue injury can occur to your mouth. Sometimes it happens when you bite your tongue accidentally or apply too much pressure when brushing your teeth, which can cause your gums to bleed. When you’re experiencing this type of problem, you can rinse your mouth with warm water or warm salt water, which will ease the pain a little. You can apply gauze to the area that’s been damaged and hold it in place for a few minutes or until the bleeding subsides.

While most dental injuries require you to visit a dentist, soft tissue injuries are a little different because if you have a significant amount of bleeding, you should actually contact you doctor.

Injury From Braces

There have been many advancements in technology for braces. Fortunately, braces are not as painful as they once were. However, it’s still possible to injure your mouth when wearing them. It can happen when you bump against something and the wires loosen and poke areas of your mouth. There are great toolkits on the market to help you clean your braces, but you should leave fixing them up to your orthodontist.

It’s best to see your orthodontist as soon as possible because issues that are prolonged can result in damage to your cheek or an infection from a tear caused by the broken wire. You can use gauze to cushion the wire until you make it to your orthodontist’s office.

Mouth Wound in Children

Sometimes it’s difficult to know why a child is in pain. It’s possible that they have experienced a mouth wound from a bump or fall. In fact, children fall frequently and it’s quite easy for them to have a cut inside their mouth when it happens. The symptoms often include swelling, bruising, bleeding, pain and perhaps a small laceration.

The first thing you should do is check your child’s mouth to see if there is a visible wound. If there is, you should see your doctor because there might be a facial fracture or something more serious. If your child has a broken tooth, you should see a dentist right away. If your child has mouth pain and you can’t pinpoint the problem, there’s a chance that it’s a cavity.

When it comes to dental issues in children, the biggest culprit is eating the wrong types of food, which leads to cavities. This happens when the bacteria in a child’s mouth turns the sugar from sweet treats into acids. This process results in tooth decay. By the time a child has a cavity, you should definitely be on your way to the dentist. While you may not be able to prevent mouth injuries from a fall, you can prevent cavities from forming.

Chipped Tooth

If you chip a tooth, be sure to keep the piece that fell off. Right after it happens, rinse your mouth with warm water and use gauze to soak up any blood and apply pressure until it stops bleeding. If you notice any swelling, use a towel to make a cold compress for our cheek or wherever there’s swelling. When you go to the dentist, be sure to take the broken piece of tooth with you.

Knocked-Out Tooth

As soon as your tooth has been knocked out of its socket, find it, rinse it off (don’t use any chemicals) and place it gently back into the socket. Don’t try to force it back into place because you might cause damage. If you are unable to do so, preserve the tooth in milk using a small container and visit your dentist immediately. It’s recommended that you get to the dentist within an hour, otherwise you risk the chance of not being able to have the tooth reimplanted.

Accidents happen and sometimes there is no way to prevent a mouth injury. However, being diligent about taking care of problems that arise is the best solution no matter what happens. Your dentist is a valuable resource to help you navigate all mouth and dental problems.

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