Post-emergency Dental Care: Recovery and Follow-up Advice

21 May 2024

Dental emergencies are scary. Fortunately, the worst is over now! You contacted Oakville Place Dental for emergency dental care and received the treatment you needed. Now, it’s all about recovery. Your mouth needs time and proper care to heal correctly.

Post-emergency dental care ensures that your mouth heals without infection, complications, or unnecessary pain. It’s very important that you adhere to the instructions provided by your emergency dentist. Additionally, be sure to follow the seven tips included in this article.

The Importance of Proper Post-Emergency Dental Care

If you experience a dental emergency, it’s crucial to seek professional help immediately. After all, the sooner you get to your emergency dental clinic, the sooner your discomfort will be over, and the easier treatment will be.

However, what happens after you receive emergency dental care matters too. Post-emergency dental care is vital for a swift and lasting recovery, free from complications. It ensures that the affected areas heal properly so you can talk, chew, and smile like you did before your dental emergency.

Conversely, neglecting post-emergency care can prolong healing times and increase your risk of infection. The last thing you want is to return to your emergency dental clinic because of a disease caused by improper aftercare. These infections, like a root canal, can be painful and require more intensive treatment.

Infection and improper aftercare can, ultimately, compromise the procedure’s success. If this happens, you’ll be spending more time in the dentist’s chair at Oakville Place Dental.

Advice for Recovery After a Dental Emergency

1. Follow your dentist’s instructions

First and foremost, you must follow your dentist’s instructions. Your emergency dentist at Oakville Place Dental will give you a specific aftercare plan—and you must adhere to this! These instructions explain how to best care for your teeth, gums, and the affected area after your emergency procedure.

Different emergency treatments require slightly different post-emergency dental care. Your aftercare instructions are based on the nature of your specific emergency treatment. Consequently, you must listen closely and follow the instructions diligently. This helps ensure that your mouth heals properly, without complications or unnecessary pain.

2. Attend scheduled appointments

Depending on the nature and severity of your emergency dental treatment, you may be asked to visit Oakville Place Dental for one or two follow-up appointments. That way, your dentist can monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments.

These appointments play a crucial role in your short-term relief and long-term recovery. After all, your dentist needs to know if your mouth isn’t healing correctly or if there are early signs of an infection. Then, they can make swift adjustments to your aftercare plan or intervene with more treatment before your condition worsens.

3. Manage any pain or discomfort

It’s normal to feel some discomfort after an emergency dental procedure. This discomfort may last for a few days or a week or two, depending on the severity of your dental injury and treatment. However, the pain should decrease as you heal.

Your dentist at Oakville Place Dental will let you know how much discomfort you should expect and for how long. If the pain increases with time or persists longer than expected, contact your dentist. This could indicate an infection or a problem with your healing.

You will either be prescribed pain medication or recommended over-the-counter pain relievers to help manage any pain or discomfort after your emergency treatment. Follow your dentist’s instructions carefully and avoid self-prescribing pain medication. Oakville Place Dental can help guide you on a suitable pain-management strategy for your specific situation.

4. Stick to your oral hygiene routine

Maintaining a good oral hygiene routine is always important, but even more so after an emergency dental procedure. You need to be committed and meticulous about your oral hygiene! Otherwise, your risk of infection increases significantly.

Brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash or salt water helps combat the mouth’s inherent bacteria. Without these essential steps, bacteria growth can skyrocket, making infection and tooth decay far more likely.

Be sure to follow any specific oral hygiene recommendations from your dentist. You may have to be extra gentle around the treated area or adjust your hygiene regime to prevent re-injuring your mouth.

5. Adjust your diet

You may need to make some adjustments to your diet as part of your post-emergency dental care. For example, you can adopt a soft or liquid diet for the first few days.

Oral surgery, tooth extractions, and root canals all require a soft/liquid diet in the days immediately following the procedure. This limits pain and discomfort while your mouth is sensitive, as well as prevents re-injury of the affected area.

Hot or cold foods can cause sensitivity or irritation after your procedure. Sticky or hard foods can cause more damage to the injury site, leading to more pain and compromising your recovery.

6. Avoid harmful habits

Additionally, you should refrain from harmful habits, like smoking or drinking alcohol, while your mouth is healing. Tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption can compromise your recovery, delaying healing and causing further complications.

You can also take this as an opportunity to make permanent lifestyle changes to protect your long-term oral and overall health. Tobacco use significantly increases your risk of oral cancer and other serious health conditions. Similarly, drinking too much alcohol increases your risk for oral cancer and other diseases.

7. Communicate with your dental office

If you have any questions about your post-emergency aftercare, just ask us! The team at Oakville Place Dental is ready to assist you. Our accommodating and knowledgeable staff can answer your questions and provide clarity. We want you to have a speedy and effective recovery so you can get back to living pain-free. Proper post-emergency care is absolutely essential.

If you experience any pain, swelling, or other unusual symptoms after your emergency dental procedure, contact us immediately. It’s very important that you share this information with us. You may be experiencing an infection or complication with your healing that requires immediate dental care.

When you visit our dental clinic for a follow-up visit, let us know how your recovery is going. We need to know about any lingering pain, discomfort, or increased sensitivity. That way, we can make any necessary adjustments to your aftercare plan.

Oakville Place Dental: Your Emergency Dental Office

Oakville Place Dental has been one of Toronto’s leading emergency dental offices for almost 25 years. Our team is knowledgeable, compassionate, and attentive. We will do everything possible to ensure that you receive the treatment you need in a timely manner.

With our talented staff and cutting-edge technology, you will receive the best dental care in the Greater Toronto Area. We also work with your insurance company, billing them directly whenever possible.

For an emergency dental office in Oakville, call Oakville Place Dental at (905) 842-6030 or contact us here.

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