Hello everyone!
I’m honored to be part of such a supportive community and love seeing our businesses find ways to adapt and thrive in such a challenging time. Like most of you, the majority of my business has been sidelined and I’ve been desperate to get back to doing what I love. I’m a dentist in Etters (northern York county) and I’ve been mandated to shut down since March, except in cases of dental emergencies.
During this time my colleagues and I have done everything we can to remain useful and accessible to the community. To keep with that spirit, I want to give you some tips in case you or a loved one is experiencing a dental problem and are having issues finding the help you need.
- If a crown comes loose or falls off – you can use over the counter Fixodent or temporary dental cement to put the crown back onto the tooth and create a seal around the margins. This also helps to keep your teeth from shifting while the crown is dislodged.
- Pain/sensitivity to sweets/brushing/hot/cold – Do NOT use whitening toothpaste and immediately pick up some sensitive toothpaste from the store (my favorite brand is Sensodyne). Whitening toothpaste is very abrasive and can cause more sensitivity, whereas toothpaste specifically formulated for sensitive teeth helps to relieve/lessen those sensitivity issues.
- Broken tooth/lost filling – Try to keep the area as clean as possible and pick up some over-the-counter temporary dental filling material to close the gap/hole in the tooth. Once a hole forms in a tooth for food to collect, cavities will accelerate and cause a much bigger problem in a much shorter period of time.
- Jaw/muscle pain from clenching/grinding – An over the counter night guard can help to relieve some of the stress you are putting on your teeth, joints, and muscles.
As with any dental emergency, please call your Dentist office right away and try to make contact for advice or an appointment. The suggestions above are only meant to be a short term fix until you can receive definitive care. If you can’t reach someone to help you, my office and my colleagues are always available by phone. If you can’t leave your home or want to avoid an office visit, you can request a teledentistry or virtual dental appointment with me by going to the website TellTheDentist.com.
Hopefully, some of these tips can help you stay safe and healthy during this time! Stay safe and stay positive everyone!
