The Toothache That Changed My Life

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The Toothache That Changed My Life

I never really had problems with my teeth. Consequently, I never really saw the need to visit a dentist on a regular basis. That was until last year when I developed a sudden toothache that over-the-counter medications simply could not handle. This toothache prompted my first dental visit in more than a decade. I went in expecting to have a tooth pulled and walked out a changed man. I was expecting to hear I had a few cavities. I never expected my dentist to tell me that I had gum disease. What shocked me even more was when he told me this problem could have been prevented with regular dental care. I have not missed an appointment since that day. It is my hope that the information in this blog can prevent you from making the same mistake I did.

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Gums Bleeding? Grab A Teabag

13 November 2017
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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There's plenty of misinformation about household objects that are useful for your overall health. One claim states that tea bags can help to stop bleeding from your gums, especially when you've recently suffered an injury. If you're wondering if teabags can actually be helpful, the answer is yes, they can. Read on to learn how teabags can help to slow or stop bleeding from wounds to your gums.

Work in Two Ways

Teabags do two things well when used to stop oral bleeding: they make excellent compresses, and they're full of tannins. Bleeding from the gums is a lot like bleeding from anywhere else: one of your first steps should be to apply pressure. This helps to slow the flow of blood, which allows the body time to create a clot that seals the injury. In addition, the tannins in tea actually help to make the blood clot more quickly. As a result, this method is surprisingly effective, especially in emergencies when you need to slow the bleeding before going to the dentist.

Usage

If you need to use a teabag to slow dental bleeding, follow these steps:

  1. Clear the wound of any debris that may have caused the injury. Rinse with water or flush the wound with saline to be certain there are no shards of bone, plastic, or whatever substance caused the injury.

  2. Get a black tea bag and dampen it lightly with water. Black tea works best; green tea is less effective, and herbal teas won't do the job at all.

  3. Place the black teabag over the injury. Lightly bite down until it's held in place between the teeth.

  4. Keep the compress there until you either feel the bleeding stop or a substantial amount of time has passed.

Once the bleeding has ended, it's time to remove the teabag.

Removal

Although it might be tempting, you shouldn't reach in and simply pull off the teabag. Doing so can rip off any clot that's holding the wound closed.

Instead, take a sip of water and hold it in your mouth. Don't swish, because it could create enough pressure in your mouth to dislodge the clot. Tip your head from side to side to disperse the water over the teabag, dampening it. Then, spit out the water.

Now you may gently reach in and remove the teabag. If it feels like it's still stuck firmly, repeat the above step.

Keep in mind that this is a stopgap measure. If you've endured some kind of injury to your gums or you just have a severe oral disease that's causing the bleeding, you need to seek help from a dental office like Advara Dental & Dentures. Otherwise, the injury could become infected, or in the case of oral disease, it will only progress without professional help.