Have you been rather too enthusiastic when playing football with your mates? Or maybe you slipped whilst cooking up a storm in the kitchen? Accidents, unfortunately, do happen and when they do, this could be the time that you may have to take a trip to see an emergency dentist.
Whilst it is imperative that you maintain the health of your family with a good oral care regime at home and regular trips to your dentist for check-ups, sometimes, when the unexpected occurs, this may not be enough.
Trips and falls can happen at any time and some injuries will need treating straight away.
Which injuries are seen as an emergency?
There is no rhyme or reason as to which injuries will be most severe. Just biting too hard on your favourite toffee could cause a minor fracture or it may simply pull a filling out. A fall could result in a very badly cracked tooth or just a small chip. The main thing to note is where the damage is located in your mouth and how much pain you have. A small chip or fracture could possibly wait for your dentist to look at when the practice is open, but if the tooth has been knocked out completely, for example, you should seek emergency dental attention.
If you do knock your tooth out completely, it is a good idea to gently wash away any dirt and to keep the tooth in milk to take it with you to the dental professional you are seeing. It is also wise to apply a wet compress to the area which is bleeding
Toothache
When does a toothache stop just being an annoying inconvenience and become something more serious? If you have a bad abscess, it can be absolute agony and very frightening. If you are unfortunate enough to experience this, the first thing to do is to contact your dental surgery, they will have an emergency phone number which you can ring. Your dental practice will try to get you in for an appointment quickly if the pain is very bad.
If you are unable to get a quick appointment at your regular dentist for any reason, then take yourself off to the emergency department at your hospital. They will be able to assess if you need treatment straight away or whether they can offer you painkillers until your dentist is open.
Patched up and ready for home!
It can be very scary having an accident and causing injury to your teeth and mouth, especially when there is a lot of blood involved. But help is always at hand either from your dentist or the emergency department at your nearest hospital.
Some injuries are unavoidable, but prevention is better than cure. So maintaining good oral care at home, through brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing, will ensure that if an accident does occur, your treatment and healing process will run more smoothly.