My child just knocked out their tooth – what should I do?

If you’re unsure if your child requires emergency medical treatment for their injuries, it’s best to call 911. Rinse your child’s mouth carefully with lukewarm water, taking care to have them spit out any debris from the broken tooth. Put the tooth in milk to keep it moist. Call our emergency helpline. We can advise you whether emergency treatment and replacement of the tooth is an option, or if you should let your child rest and come to the office on a different day. Losing a tooth is upsetting for a child – as well as the parent, which is why we’re here to take the fear away for both of you. We can help you settle your child and soothe their discomfort.

Can I see an emergency dentist for a chipped or broken tooth?

We understand the distress losing or breaking a tooth can cause, and the dread this can create in the lead-up to an important event, where activities such as smiling and eating (or kissing!) may be required. It’s never a good time to have a dental emergency, and that’s why we have cosmetic dentists, pediatric dentists, and dental practitioners on standby 24/7 for all unexpected dental emergencies. Whether your tooth is chipped or broken, we can save the tooth.

Emergency out-of-hours dentist for toothache

If you are experiencing toothache that feels like it won’t wait until morning, it may be that you require an emergency root canal. As daunting as this may sound, be assured that our team is highly trained and prepared to ease your fears. This is hopefully just a once-in-a-lifetime event for you, but we’re used to it.

I’ve hurt my mouth and it’s bleeding. I’m not sure what to do

If you are injured and unsure of the extent of your injuries, it’s always best to call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately. What appears to be just a broken tooth may have an underlying issue not visible to you. If you sustained impact – especially where it caused a tooth to be knocked out – you should seek medical advice right away to check for a possible concussion or fracture. If this sounds like you, you should seek help without delay.

Dental emergencies with no insurance

As if tooth problems at inopportune times aren’t bad enough, finding yourself in need of emergency dentistry when you’re without insurance is an added face ache. Call us. We can advise you by phone and work out a payment plan that works for you. Often dental treatment is required, through neglect, because the patient did not have dental insurance in place. This is a good time to address your dental emergency and ensure you have confidence in the strength of your teeth going forward.

We are here to help you get your dental health and wellbeing back on track.

Emergency pediatric dentist

When your child is hurt or in pain, we understand it can be as traumatic for the parent as it is for your child. Whether through trauma from a fall or toothache from a possible abscess or infection, if your child is experiencing dental pain or injury, don’t hesitate to get in touch for advice and treatment. We endeavor to provide you with immediate help to get your child assistance as quickly as possible.

Will the emergency dentist remove teeth?

Emergency dentists are prepared for every eventuality. Sometimes toothache can flare up, seemingly out of nowhere, and the causes are widely varied. Your emergency dentist will perform a detailed examination to determine the source of your discomfort and identify what can be done to preserve and restore your tooth. In circumstances where the tooth cannot be saved and needs to be extracted, your dentist will perform whatever your teeth require.

Emergency dentist for nervous or fearful patients

Dentists understand that visiting the dentist is not everyone’s favorite pastime. Often fear and delay in visiting the dentist are the reasons some people find themselves with sudden onset toothache stemming from a problem not discovered during a routine check-up. This is a good opportunity to begin to overcome those fears, at a time when necessity fuels the need. Our emergency dentists are highly experienced and skilled, caring for patients in times of particular need and distress. From the moment you make contact, we are on hand to help you through this difficult experience.

My crown fell out – can I see an emergency dentist?

Losing a crown is never convenient. Don’t despair; we may be able to put you back together, even before we see you. Depending on whether your crown fell out due to trauma, sudden impact, or because it has become loose through grinding, your underlying root may have been affected. Gently clean the area, assessing any tenderness or cracks on the bed of the tooth.

Contact our helpline immediately. We can advise over-the-counter solutions to hold your smile together until we see you.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE NON-DENTAL FIXATIVES. This will not hold the crown in place and can cause damage and infection.

I’m going on vacation. What if I have a dental emergency away from home?

Talk to us about your vacation plans and any particular concerns you have about going away. We can help you equip yourself with dental first aid and the information you need to know what to do in an emergency. From a baby teething, child losing baby teeth, pregnant mother, to a father undergoing dental implant treatment, we understand anything can come up. Let us put your mind at rest and educate you as to dental help and resources around the planet. You’re never too far away.

Extractions

Extractions are something we usually leave behind in childhood, though on occasion, when all other options have been exhausted, it’s necessary to remove permanent adult teeth.

Why do I need an extraction?

• Decay beyond repair, unable to save
• Overcrowding in the mouth and inability for other teeth to grow
• Tooth impacted, can’t erupt. Removal to make way for healthy teeth
• Root leftover from another tooth
• Preparing the socket for a dental implant
• Removing a tooth to begin root canal treatment

Are extractions painful?

Extractions can sometimes feel a bit stiff; however, the process is a painless one, as the area is numbed fully before the procedure begins. Sometimes there can be pain afterward when the anesthetic wears off. This is normal and can be treated with your usual choice of over-the-counter pain medication, such as Tylenol or Advil.

What do I do after a tooth extraction?

Rest is recommended after an extraction, as the jaw can feel bruised and the socket quite tender after the trauma of losing the tooth. Use an ice compress to combat any swelling and help numb sensitivity in the area. Gentle rinsing with boiled salty water will help keep the socket clean and remove blood from the wound without preventing clotting.

Avoiding extremes of temperature is advised, and a diet of easy-to-consume, soft edibles is recommended for the first few days following the extraction. Foods requiring minimal chewing are best.

Smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating food likely to get stuck in the socket is liable to cause infection and slow down healing.

If for any reason you suspect your socket is not healing well, contact your dentist without delay. Infections after a procedure to remove a tooth are not uncommon – you may require irrigation to clean the wound and promote healing.

Typical Dental Emergency Issues

• A Toothache: The quicker we can see you, the less complicated this will be. Toothaches usually mean that your tooth is infected, but there are other possible reasons your tooth may be hurting. And if you have severe tooth pain and it goes away, don’t assume that your tooth is better. Usually, it means that the pulp tissue inside your tooth is dead and the infection is now beginning to spill into the bone.
• A Broken Tooth: A broken front tooth can be an aesthetic emergency. A bonding procedure to make you look presentable may not take very long at all. Please come in and we’ll take care of this. If a broken back tooth isn’t hurting, it may not be so urgent, but you should still be seen within a couple of days.
• Tooth Knocked Out: Call us right away. Try to recover and save the tooth and rinse off its roots. Treat the root of the tooth very gently. You can rinse it off, but absolutely do not scrub or do any mechanical cleaning. Put it in a damp (not wet) towel or paper towel, or put it in a glass of milk to help keep that delicate ligament tissue alive. If we can replant the tooth within half an hour of the accident, we may be able to save the tooth. Otherwise, it will eventually have to be replaced with a bridge or an implant.

Please remember that any kind of pain is a sign that something is wrong. If the pain stops, do not assume that the problem is gone. Make sure you visit your emergency dentist as soon as you can.