In the coming weeks we will provide a concise summary of what to do in a dental emergency.
The first question is “What do we consider to be an emergency?”. Well, that very much depends on who is asking the question. To a patient with raging toothache, they will swiftly be able to answer, but the truth is that there are just a few problems that we would regard as a genuine emergency.
There is no doubt that any pain or discomfort would be considered to be something that warrants prompt attention but here are the issues that would really get your dentist’s attention.
Dental injury
This can be anything from banging a tooth, causing it to move or break, to knocking a tooth out. We’re not talking about “milk teeth” here – any tooth that will eventually be replaced by an adult tooth isn’t going to be too much of a problem, but any adult tooth is a bit more significant. This will be the subject of a blog to follow, but the most important thing to remember if you should knock out an (adult) tooth, is “Pick it, Lick it, Stick it”.
Swelling
Severe dental infections can be potentially life threatening and need prompt attention. You should always contact your dentist as soon as you experience swelling of any sort. If it’s really severe and you are struggling to get dental assistance (in the middle of the night for example) then you may even need to seek help following the advice of NHS direct, who will sometimes even suggest a hospital visit if the swelling is severe.
Uncontrolled bleeding
On rare occasions, some people can experience prolonged bleeding after having a tooth extraction. Normally bleeding can be controlled by 15-20 minutes of sustained pressure with a gauze or cotton pad, but if the bleeding is not stopping of its own accord, it’s time to get in touch.
At Coppice View Dental Care, we keep daily appointments free to cater for any emergencies, toothaches etc., but if you require advice outside of normal working hours, we operate an on-call rota with other practices in Harrogate and can be contacted on 07790 780512.
Mike