Dental Emergency

How do I know if I have a dental emergency?

Any type of pain or damage to the teeth can constitute an emergency. If you’ve been involved in an accident that’s causing you severe discomfort that doesn’t alleviate after a few hours, it’s important that you make a call to the emergency dentist as soon as you can. Impacts that knock or crack your teeth might not necessarily cause a lot of pain but might require some cosmetic reconstruction.
It’s not likely that you would experience a dental emergency without realising it, emergency dentists are usually open twenty-four hours a day because patients need immediate treatment to deal with a sudden problem that has occurred, they won’t make appointments for general check-ups or cosmetic procedures like cleaning or whitening.

What should I do if I can’t get to the dentist straight away?

Firstly make sure you have made contact with the surgery so that they are aware of your problem before you can get to see the dentist, it will save time later on. Secondly, assess the situation as it stands, there may be something you can do to help with pain or bleeding, but don’t try any kind of surgery yourself; this is likely to make the problem worse rather than better. If you have a severe toothache but you don’t know what the underlying issue is, rinse out your mouth to remove any bits of food that might be lodged around the painful tooth, check for any swelling or oozing, this might indicate an infection.

What kinds of problems warrant a dental emergency?

Broken or knocked-out teeth – if the tooth is just superficially cracked or chipped it might not be too painful, but if it has been knocked out there is probably going to be quite a lot of blood. If you can, find the pieces of the tooth that have broken away and keep them safe, the dentist may be able to reattach or rebuild them. Apply ice to numb the area if it has started to swell. You need to clean the tooth that has been knocked out, but it’s important not to scrub it or wash away any soft tissue that is still attached to the root. It’s possible that your dentist might be able to fix the tooth back into its socket, so you need to take it with you when you attend you appointment, carry it in a cup of milk or warm water to keep the tooth alive whilst it’s outside of your mouth. In most instances of this nature, you will need to get to an emergency dentist within the hour to have your tooth refitted, after this time the chances of saving the tooth rapidly decline. Don’t worry if you do have a tooth knocked out and can’t get it fixed, there are other options – such as dental implants – which can help you rebuild the damaged area, dentists at the Pearl Dental Clinic are always happy to help out with emergency cases or patients who have lost teeth in an accident.

Loose fillings or crowns – Heavy impacts or blows to the face can sometimes lead to problems with previous dental treatments that have taken place, if this happens to you, make sure you see your dentist as soon as possible, as exposed teeth are at risk of infection. This is particularly true of broken fillings, amalgam or composite fillings are there to protect the nerves and root of the tooth, and without it bacteria can attack the delicate inner workings and cause a whole host of problems. To avoid this in the short term, take a piece of sugarless gum and press it over the tooth as a sort of temporary cap, this will do the job of shielding the tooth, but you must have a dentist refill the cavity quickly or the situation will get much worse. Losing a crown or cap has to be dealt with promptly to stop any uneven wearing of the teeth, but it probably won’t leave you in a large amount of pain in the same way as a filling, there are even over-the-counter dental cements you can buy as a temporary solution, but it’s always advisable to see a dentist before attempting to perform any kind of extensive surgery on yourself.

Abscesses – Infections of this kind will usually develop over time, but can turn nasty very quickly. Lumps, swellings or inflamed gums around the base of the teeth are very painful indicators of a dental emergency and you should get to a surgery as soon as you feel the pain start to worsen. Your teeth, gums, and whole jaw could be at risk if you don’t do something about a growing abscess, infection is a tricky business and you’ll most likely be prescribed some antibiotics to fight the bacteria, as well as having to undergo surgery of some kind. Whilst you wait to see the dentist, the best thing you can do is keep the area clean by rinsing your mouth out with a salt water solution several times a day.

Other injuries

Scratches or serious bleeding from the gums, cheeks, tongue or lips should all be seen by a dentist, there are billions of bacteria in the mouth so infection can easily set in. Anti-bacterial creams can often solve the problem, but just to be on the safe side you should have dentist look at the area to make sure there are no signs of infection. If you are feeling a lot of pain, after the bleeding has subsided, use a cold compress to numb the mouth and lessen the swelling, apply a bit of pressure to stem any more bleeding and rinse your mouth at intervals to keep it clean.

When can I make an emergency dental appointment?

As soon as you realise there is a problem, day or night. Surgeries are open twenty-four hours a day to deal with sudden pain or ongoing issues that have flared up, they are put in place for just such emergencies and can easily be accessed at any time.