How To Deal With A Broken Tooth

 

Breaking a tooth is a daunting experience, but you can reverse its impact if you act quickly and go to the dentist to get the cosmetic damage fixed. This way, you will be able to prevent long-term problems. There can be many situations that can result in a broken tooth. Those situations include a car accident, injury during a sport, or dental problems such as a lost filling or cavity.

What happens in case a tooth breaks?

A broken tooth can range from a chip or crack in the tooth enamel to a total breakage of the tooth. Such situations lead to the exposure of the dentin or tooth pulp. Remember, tooth enamel doesn’t consist of living tissues, so you will not feel any pain if it breaks. The pain, however, occurs when the layers underneath the enamel, such as dentin and tooth pulp, come in contact with the air other foreign elements. The tooth pulp consists of active nerves, so you don’t want it to be open in any case. In some cases, tooth pain can still occur as a result of an impact, whether or not the enclosed layers of the tooth are exposed.

What to do with a broken tooth

Getting to the dentist immediately is crucial, but what’s even more crucial is to get a home emergency treatment to increase the chances of a positive outcome. A few things that you can do in case of a broken tooth are the following.

• Collect every broken piece of your tooth or teeth, and take them to the dentist.
• Rinse the tooth with warm water to get rid of the dirt and debris.
• You may need to place a cold compress to avoid swelling if the injury has broken your tooth.
• Call your dentist immediately to get an emergency appointment. It will be even more critical to see the dentist quickly if the dentin or pulp of your tooth has exposed.

According to a report published by a team of experts at Harvard Medical School, you should not chew on hard foods or cover the broken edge of your tooth using chewing gum after the injury.

In some cases, the impact of an injury can go beyond the broken tooth. An injury to the entire jaw or TMJ is also the possible outcome of an impact. An injury to the jaw may result in an overall inability to bring your upper and lower teeth together. You will want to see the dentist immediately in this scenario.

Treatment for a broken tooth

The treatment for a broken tooth will depend on the amount of damage you have received on your tooth. If the injury has caused contamination of the tooth pulp, you may want to get it removed because the tooth pulp dies over time. The dentist may also want to wait to check if your tooth pulp has been infected after surgery. If the tooth pulp is not infected, but there is a significant chip on the tooth, the dentist may want to place a dental crown. In severe cases, when there is no way to save the tooth, the dentist will choose to extract the remaining part of it.

 

How To Treat Bad Breath In Teenagers

Bad breath can be a significant problem for teens, especially during social interactions. The treatment of this problem involves assessing the reasons to get rid of the bad breath permanently instead of masking the issue.

There can be several reasons for bad breath or halitosis. Some of those reasons may include the following.

• Oral disease
• Tobacco and alcohol consumption
• Food choices
• Dry mouth
• Sinus infection, diabetes, or other medical conditions

Be proactive with your oral hygiene

In most cases, the reason for the bad breath lies inside the mouth itself, so you may want to practice good oral hygiene to prevent or treat the problem. It mainly includes brushing and flossing your teeth right according to the dentist’s recommendation. To remove plaque from your tooth, you will need to brush your teeth twice every day. The plaque consists of food particles and bacteria, both of which work in conjunction to produce acids that not only cause a foul smell but also initiate tooth decay. While brushing your teeth, make sure to clean your tongue as well.

Flossing your teeth twice a day is recommended, but you should do it at least once if you find it too difficult. It will help you get rid of the plaque from interdental spaces where the toothbrush can’t reach.

Another way to kill bad breath is to use mouthwash. The use of mouthwash is a temporary solution, so you should not consider it as an alternative to brushing or flossing.

Dental visits

It is not uncommon for teenagers to be careless of their dental hygiene, which can result in several dental health problems. Not brushing or flossing your teeth can lead to the accumulation of bacteria on your teeth, which can initiate tooth decay. This accumulation also causes the foul smell. Make sure to visit your dentist twice every year. It will help your dentist assess your dental health properly and suggest any action to prevent the occurrence of a severer issue in the future. You should visit your dentist regularly, even if you follow your dental hygiene regimen regularly.

Food choices

Teenagers do not shy away from trying different foods, some of which can cause bad breath very quickly. Processed foods and the ones high in sugar can contribute to the formation of a sticky layer on the surface of teeth, allowing bacteria to build up there. This formation can trigger tooth decay and resultant bad breath. Choosing foods carefully is the best way to avoid dental problems. Raw fruits and vegetables can actually help in improving dental health.

Avoid dry mouth

Smoking and processed foods can contribute to mouth dryness, which can be a significant reason for bad breath. Certain medications to treat medical issues such as cold can also cause bad breath. One of the primary jobs of saliva is to maintain a healthy ecosystem of the oral cavity by washing away bad bacteria. When there is an insufficient amount of saliva in the mouth, bad bacteria can take over the control and cause several dental and oral problems, including bad breath. Dentists and physicians suggest adequate fluid intake to prevent several dental and other health issues for good. Generally, you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.