Emergency Dentist Essex
It can be hard to know what to do in the event of a dental emergency. We can help.
Examples of Urgent Dental Emergencies
Urgent dental emergencies are time-sensitive and need to be seen by a medical or dental professional as quickly as possible.
- A knocked out tooth: If a permanent tooth is knocked out entirely, it is possible to put the tooth back in place and have it take root again. If the tooth is clean, and you trust the tooth will not be swallowed, you can put it back in the socket, holding it in place by gently biting down. If this is not possible, keep the tooth in a container of cold milk and call the practice right away. We will need to have you come into the practice immediately if we hope to restore the tooth.
- Severely broken teeth: Beyond minor chips and cracks, when teeth are broken substantially, it can cause a great deal of pain. Serious breaks may need an emergency root canal, crown or other restoration to save the tooth.
- Facial swelling that affects vision or breathing: In these dental emergencies, patients need to go straight to A&E for medical attention. This also applies to patients who cannot open their mouth more than the width of two fingers.
- Trauma that results in unconsciousness, double vision or vomiting: In these instances, patients need medical care. Please go straight to A&E if you experience any of these symptoms.
- Badly bitten lip or tongue: Using gauze or a clean cloth, press down on the part that is bleeding. If the bleeding cannot be stopped, go to A&E right away.
What is Considered a Dental Emergency?
Whether it’s an accident or a dental issue that was put off too long, there are different understandings about what constitutes a dental emergency. Some tooth or mouth damage requires immediate medical attention, where other incidents fall under non-urgent dental care, which can be seen by a dental professional during regular business hours.
In general, an actual dental emergency is an issue that requires immediate treatment to stop bleeding, save a tooth, address a life-threatening infection or alleviate severe pain. We do our best at our Saffron Walden clinic near Essex to provide this service.
Managing Your Toothache at Home
Common Non-Urgent Dental Emergencies
- Toothache: We never want our patients to be in pain, and toothache can be the result of a number of dental issues. If the toothache prevents you from sleeping or eating or comes with a fever that is not managed by painkillers, we will need to see you right away. Call our dental practice to explain your symptoms and schedule an appointment. In the meantime, take an over-the-counter pain medicine to ease the discomfort.
- Chipped or broken teeth: Providing there is no pain to the patient, these non-urgent emergencies can usually be fixed with a white filling on our next business day.
- Something stuck between the teeth: Try to gently remove the object with dental floss. If that does not work, do not try to dislodge the object with a sharper object. Please call our dental practice for an appointment.
- Lost filling, crown, bridge or veneers: These issues can all be fixed with help from the team at our practice. Please call us, and we will get you in for an appointment as soon as possible.
