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What to
do in a dental emergency
Don't
Panic. Stay calm and deal with the problem!
If you have
a dental emergency during office hours call (07) 839 5831.
If you are a patient of our practice and have an emergency after hours
call us on our mobile
phones.
If you are
not a patient of our practice please first try the Emergency
Dentist-on-call.
Here are
some common dental emergencies and how to handle them:
Cut lips,
tongue or gums
Rinse the
wounds and clean gently with cold water or salt solution. Apply
pressure with a damp cloth. Call us or get to your nearest
Accident and Emergency clinic.
Extraction
wounds
Take a clean
handkerchief, wet it, wring it out, fold it, place over the bleeding
socket and bite firmly. Keep it there for at least 10 minutes.
Sit down - do not move about. If bleeding persists, reapply
the handkerchief with a damp tea-bag folded inside the cloth (don't
allow burst bag to spill tea leaves into the wound), and leave for a
further ten minutes. Avoid smoking, hot drinks, alcohol and
exercise for the following 12 hours. If the bleeding persists call
us or the Emergency Dentist.
If possible,
gently push the tooth back into position. Hold it in while you
apply pressure around the tooth with a damp cloth for several minutes.
Call us or get to the Emergency Dentist as soon as possible.
Teeth
knocked out
Baby/Milk
tooth
If the tooth
is completely knocked out then there is no treatment for that tooth
other than stopping the bleeding. You may contact us for advice
and to set up an appointment to check no other damage has been done.
Adult Tooth
Time is critical.
If you can replace the tooth immediately or keep it moist and make it to
the dentist within thirty minutes, there is a good chance that the tooth
can be saved. The chances of successful re-implantation reduce
dramatically with time, so act swiftly.
Find the tooth. Do not touch the root - hold it by the
crown. Do not scrub or attempt to disinfect it, as you may kill
some of the living cells on the root.
If it is clean immediately after dislodgment: Try to put it
back in place yourself. Hold it by the crown and push it gently back
into its socket, checking that it is inserted in its original position
and the right way round. Hold it in place and apply pressure around the
tooth with a damp cloth for several minutes. Contact a dentist as
quickly as possible.
If it is not clean: Do not touch the root - hold it by the crown.
Do not scrub or disinfect it. In order of preference rinse it with
milk or weak salt solution (one level teaspoon in a large mug of cold
water) or cold water or have the patient suck it clean
before gently pushing it back into place. Hold it in place and
apply pressure around the tooth with a damp cloth for several minutes.
Contact a dentist as quickly as possible.
If you can't put the tooth back into its socket: In order of
preference place it in a cup of milk or salt solution (one level
teaspoon in a large mug of cold water) or cold water.
Alternatively, put it under the patient's tongue or in the cheek
pouch. Do not let it become dry. Do not put it in
disinfectant. Call us or the Emergency Dentist immediately.
Note for Doctors: Start prophylactic antibiotics immediately.
If the tooth or mouth has contacted soil, consider administering tetanus
anti-toxin. Refer to a dentist for splinting ASAP.
See your dentist as soon
as possible. If it is not repaired within a few days, decay can
reach the tooth nerve, which may require root
canal treatment. Do not try to use hardware glues like
'superglue' or 'epoxy' to re-cement the restoration yourself.
If your crown
(cap) has come out, carefully scrape out the loose old cement inside the
crown and place a layer of Vaseline inside the crown. Rinse the
tooth well to remove all loose cement or food particles. Place the
crown over the tooth and gently press into place. Bite down gently
to seat the crown. Wipe away the excess Vaseline. This
should create a temporary seal until you see a dentist.
If a filling has come out
and the sharp edges are cutting your tongue or the tooth is sensitive,
rinse out the cavity and fill it with well chewed sugar-free chewing-gum
or the soft wax on the outside of some cheeses. If you can't get
to a dentist soon be sure to remove the temporary packing and brush the
cavity thoroughly before replacing with a new temporary stopping.
The first choice is to
seek the help of a dentist or clinical dental technician to have a
proper repair done. If you desperately need to do a temporary home
repair remove the denture/pieces, clean them well and dry them
off. Do several practice runs at fitting the pieces together and
holding them there. Once you are confident you can do this
accurately use a small amount of cyanoacrylate 'superglue' to glue the
denture together. Don't use any other type of glue. Once the
glue is dry rinse the denture and make sure no un-hardened glue is left
before inserting the denture back into your mouth. Don't use
superglue directly in your mouth! See your dentist/technician as
soon as possible to have a permanent repair done.
If you
have pain from a tooth ache, contact your dentist for
an appointment as soon as possible. In the meantime, try applying oil of
cloves (available at chemists). You can also use commonly available
pain-killers such as aspirin, paracetamol (Panadol®) or ibuprophen (Nurofen®).
Do not place painkillers directly under your tongue or on teeth, cheek
or gums - you can cause chemical burns by doing this.
This problem should be
attended to quickly. If a dentist is not available, see your
Accident and Emergency clinic. Usually antibiotics are required.
The tooth may require root
canal treatment or extraction.
If you have severe
swelling of the face or neck or are feverish or having difficulty
breathing seek medical help IMMEDIATELY!
Contact your dentist for
an appointment as soon as possible. In the meantime keep your
mouth and teeth as clean as possible by maintaining your regular
brushing and flossing routines. You can rinse with warm salt
solution (one level teaspoon in a large mug of water) as often as
possible. A commercial mouthwash, especially with chlorhexidine,
such as Colgate Savacol® or Oral-B® mouthwash, can be used three or
four times daily between salt rinses. Antibiotics and
anti-inflammatory painkillers can be helpful in some cases, so if a
dentist is not available see your Accident and Emergency clinic for a
prescription. Do not use someone else's 'leftover' pills!
If you are not allergic
to Iodine, Betadine® mouthwash can also helpful for mouth ulcers.
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