If you have a cavity and you aren't going to be able to get in to see the dentist for a while, then you want to make sure you do everything you can to take care of the cavity. This will help ensure it doesn't get worse, cause you a lot of pain or become infected. Follow the advice detailed below to take good care of your cavity.
Keep your mouth as clean as possible
Proper oral care is always important, but even more so when you are trying to prevent a cavity from getting worse. You want to use a strong mouthwash every night before bed and don't drink anything for a while so the mouthwash can continue to kill bacteria that can cause more damage or even lead to infection. Also, avoid sticky foods since they will stick to your teeth and cause more damage to occur.
Use temporary filling
If your cavity is quite large then you may want to purchase temporary filling compound from the local pharmacy. To use this filling you want to put a small amount of it on the tip of a Q-tip and put it in the cavity. Try to get as much of the compound as you can down into the cavity and level it out even with your tooth.
Rinse with warm salt water
You can benefit from rinsing your mouth out with warm salt water a few times a day until you can get in to see your dentist. Rinsing with warm salt water will help keep a healthy pH balance in your mouth and kill off destructive bacteria, helping to prevent infection. The salt water is also gentle enough that you can use it throughout the day without negative effects.
Don't put added stress on your affected tooth
Try to avoid chewing hard foods when you are dealing with a cavity and if you do eat something hard, try to chew it on the other side of your mount. This way, you don't run the risk of breaking off some of your tooth that's been made weaker due to the cavity.
By following the tips above, you will have a better chance of preserving the tooth as much as possible until you can get in to see your cosmetic dentist. If you let things go too far then the tooth can be more difficult to save and the dentist may need to take extra steps to cosmetically fix the tooth so it looks good. These steps may include a cap or crown, veneers or another cosmetic procedure.
Share27 October 2015
One day I was playing a game of basketball with a friend, and the friend I was playing ball with tripped and took a hard fall to the ground. He hit his head hard, but he insisted he was okay and just wanted to go home and take a nap. I knew in my heart that he was not thinking clearly, and I didn't feel right letting him go home. I talked him into letting me take him to the hospital, and after some tests, it was determined he had a bad concussion. The doctors told me that if I had let him go home and sleep, things could have taken a turn for the worse. I created this blog to remind everyone to look out for each other after injuries. Not everyone thinks clearly after a head injury, and just being a good friend could save a life.