Emergency Dental Care

Although we never want to be in a situation where we need emergency dental care, the odds are, at some point in our lives we will require an emergency dental appointment. This article deals with two major dental emergencies and what to expect before, during and after the emergency appointment.

Dental emergencies can be broken down into two major categories:

1. Dental trauma—where an accident has occurred and damage been done to the oral tissues e.g. fractured tooth/filling, cut on the gums, teeth that are displaced (moved).
2. Dental pain/discomfort—this can happen suddenly or over a period of time, can vary in severity and can involve the teeth or the gum tissue.

Dental trauma in children

When a child has dental trauma, it usually occurs with the front teeth and gums. Before calling the dentist make sure the child has no other bodily injuries (e.g. bruises, cuts, pain) otherwise a trip to the family doctor or emergency department may be necessary.

Due to the elasticity of their bones, a child's whole tooth can pop out or be avulsed. If this occurs, you should place the whole tooth in some milk (ideally) or water and take the child, along with the tooth, to their dentist immediately. There is a chance the tooth can be saved and implanted back into its socket. If the child has displaced or moved some of his/her teeth then temporary braces over the displaced teeth may need to be added to bring the teeth back into alignment. Unfortunately traumatised teeth can discolour or require root canal therapy in the future. This is why it is important that the dentist monitor these teeth.

Dental trauma in adults

Dental trauma with adults tends to be more subdued. It usually happens when a filling/tooth fractures due to an underlying cavity, a large filling in the tooth or just biting awkwardly on a hard piece of food. When calling in this emergency appointment, it is helpful to give the receptionist as much information over the phone, to better prepare the dental office for your appointment.

The information needed includes how the trauma happened, when it happened, which tooth is affected, is the tooth sensitive etc. At the time of the appointment the dentist may require a x-ray of the tooth in question. Depending on the situation a permanent or temporary filling may be placed.

Dental pain/discomfort

Dental pain can come in various forms. It can be specific or general, acute or chronic, localised or vague. It is therefore important to give as much information over the telephone when calling in your appointment. There are many reasons for dental pain, it can be due to a cavity, a large filling which has affected the tooth nerve, the gum tissue, a sinus infection etc. When you arrive for your appointment a x-ray may be necessary. Depending on the situation your dentist may be able to alleviate the symptoms right away or may need to prescribe antibiotics to reduce any infection that may be occurring. Dental pain does not always occur during business hours (in fact it rarely does) therefore it's important to call your dentist's emergency number when the discomfort is not reacting to over the counter medication (e.g. ibuprofen). He/she can greatly reduce your symptoms by simply calling in a prescription.

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