A blow to the mouth may significantly damage your oral tissues and teeth. In such a scenario, you might need to administer some basic first-aid while waiting for emergency care from one of our caring dentists, Dr. Macon Sapp or Dr. Baxter Sapp.
If you have dried blood on your lip, chin, or some other part of your face you can use a warm, wet washcloth to gently clean the area. Lingering blood or stray debris in your mouth can then be gently rinsed away with lukewarm saltwater. This might also help give you a better view of the traumatized soft tissue.
If you’re experiencing swelling, you might be able to reduce it by gently holding a cold compress on the area for up to 20 minutes at a time. If you don’t have one immediately at hand, you can improvise a cold compress by placing crushed ice in a zip-top bag wrapped in a washcloth or tea towel.
Applying sterile gauze to the wound may help stop the bleeding. If the bleeding hasn’t come under control within half an hour, you should visit the emergency room.
If you are in the Durham, North Carolina, area and you or someone close to you has just suffered a significant oral trauma, we invite you to call 919-489-9171 to seek emergency treatment at H.T. Macon Sapp, DDS. We are pleased to offer same-day emergency dental care for our patients.