Dental Emergency – something stuck in between your teeth
Having a dental emergency? Most dental emergencies are nowhere near the severity of other medical emergencies.
In most cases, it’s the potential of extreme pain that is the issue, not health. You should still call your dentist right away.
In this article, we’ll address the issue of what to do if you are in pain because there is a piece of hard food or something else stuck between your teeth.
Why is This So Painful?
- There’s something called a foreign body reaction, which happens when a poppy seed or popcorn hull gets stuck in between the teeth or between the tooth and gum fold. The body attacks it and sends blood to the area, causing inflammation and lots of pain.
What to Do
- To fix the problem long term, you’ll need to get the space between the teeth touching so that food can’t get lodged in there again—a new filling or crown can do this.
- In the short term you need to remove the foreign body and keep the area clean so it can heal.
The best thing to do is use dental floss with ligature knots/ties. You might need a couple of knots to really make the floss effective. - Flossing removes pain immediately in a lot of cases if it is food causing the reaction. Don’t be afraid to do this and do it often (every meal).
- If you’re struggling with regular floss try a toothpick.
With most dental emergencies, severe pain may be a factor. If you can’t manage the pain without painkillers you might consider Panadol and/or ibuprofen – but only if you have no previous allergies or medications that can interact with these painkillers. You can check with your GP and pharmacy but these two painkillers are the most commonly used to curb dental pain. Codeine or tramadol can be added in extreme cases but you will need a prescription for this.
If you have a dental emergency, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Yap, the entire team is here to give you guidance and support.