Emergency Dentist - Queens

Do you have a dental emergency?

There are no set rules that can tell you what to do in the event of an emergency, but there are some things that you can do to contribute to a positive outcome from any treatment you might receive. Although you definitely should not be attempting any sort of surgery or dental treatment on yourself, that does not mean that you are completely helpless after suffering dental trauma or dealing with problems that flare up intermittently. Most people would probably tell you to go straight to the hospital after any sort of emergency has developed; however, that is not necessarily the best option if you have injuries or conditions that are purely dental in nature and don’t need to be seen by a doctor. 

Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can try and organise yourself properly after a dental emergency has developed, so that you can get the best out of treatment and have an easier time with recovery.
Keep calm – This is a key factor with most types of emergencies because panicking or getting hysterical is not going to help the situation at all; if you are able to stay calm and look at your problem objectively, you could really see a difference with your dental care further down the line. Some people will certainly struggle with this element of an emergency; if this sounds like you, it’s a good idea to speak to your family or friends to see if a second opinion can help you decide whether you should go to the hospital or the dental clinic for treatment.
Think about transport – Following on from the previous point, it is a good idea to consider how you are going to get to the clinic if you decide that it is necessary to make your way there to see a dentist. In some cases, dental trauma makes it unsafe for patients to travel alone or to walk to the surgery by themselves, in which case it could be helpful to speak to someone you trust or ask a friend if they are free to give you a lift or accompany you to make sure that you get to the clinic and back safely. 

Act quickly – This could probably be said about any sort of dental emergency but it is particularly pertinent with broken or knocked-out teeth because this kind of damage needs to be treated in the early stages to make sure that tooth loss is avoided. Ideally, you need to arrange treatment within a couple of hours to get broken teeth repaired and combat infection at the earliest possible juncture. The good news is that the vast majority of emergency dental clinics will be open twenty-four hours a day, so you should have no trouble arranging an appointment and getting treatment at short notice.
Call a dental line – You don’t actually have to do this if you are trying to find a dentist to help you, but it could be useful if you are not sure whether you should consider your symptoms a dental emergency or a medical one; not all dental emergencies will be obvious – some symptoms, such as toothache or painful gums, might not make it clear that you need to see a dentist right away. Dental lines are not usually free to call but they are staffed by trained professionals so you can be sure that the advice you are getting is the best quality. It may transpire that you don’t even need to make an appointment if your condition is not serious, or you can arrange treatment over the phone to save time.

 

 Emergency dental lines are often available twenty-four hours a day, alongside the care and treatment provided from larger clinics.
Get in touch with the clinic – This is not actually mandatory either, but if you are not registered with the particular clinic or you have never received emergency treatment before you might feel better about the situation if you were to speak to a member of the team first – rather than simply turning up unannounced. This could save you a night in the waiting room if there are no appointments available right away.
It is also worth remembering that there are other ways to get in touch with your surgery if you need emergency treatment; larger clinics with greater resources will have e-mail and text messaging services that can provide other avenues for contacting your dentist. This sort of service can be very helpful if you are not able to get to a phone or a dental injury of some sort has compromised your ability to communicate verbally – such as badly broken teeth or a broken jaw.

What types of dental emergency can happen?

 

There are many types of dental emergencies. Here are some of them: Trauma Other than decay and gum disease, traumatic injuries to teeth are a major cause of tooth loss.
Types of injuries:
Concussions A concussive injury occurs when a tooth is bumped or hit, there may or may not be complications such as fractures. When a tooth is concussed, the blood supply to the pulp may be damaged and sometimes this causes the nerve and blood vessels within a tooth to die. This results in a discoloured or painful tooth some time after the accident - days or months! The tooth will require root canal treatment and sometimes crowns or bleaching to rid it of the discoloration.
Fractures Fractures can be complicated (exposing the nerve) or uncomplicated. A complicated fracture may result in tooth death and may require root canal treatment for the tooth. Small fractures can be repaired by using composites or amalgalm but larger ones may require veneers or crowns.
Avulsion When the force of the accident causes the tooth to be pulled out of the socket, this is an avulsion. An avulsed tooth should be immediately placed back into the socket - if it is covered in debris, gently wash the root with water avoiding contact with the root surface. If you are unable to reimplant the tooth due to an obstruction or pain, clean the tooth carefully and place in a glass of milk or under your tongue and see a dentist immediately. An avulsed tooth can be reimplanted successfully if the tooth is reimplanted within a hour of avulsion. It will require root canal treatment after the bone heals and the tooth is held rigidly again.
Types of dental emergencies
Trauma Other than decay and gum disease, traumatic injuries to teeth are a major cause of tooth loss.
Types of injuries:
Concussions A concussive injury occurs when a tooth is bumped or hit, there may or may not be complications such as fractures. When a tooth is concussed, the blood supply to the pulp may be damaged and sometimes this causes the nerve and blood vessels within a tooth to die. This results in a discoloured or painful tooth some time after the accident - days or months! The tooth will require root canal treatment and sometimes crowns or bleaching to rid it of the discoloration.
Fractures Fractures can be complicated (exposing the nerve) or uncomplicated. A complicated fracture may result in tooth death and may require root canal treatment for the tooth. Small fractures can be repaired by using composites or amalgalm but larger ones may require veneers or crowns.
Avulsion When the force of the accident causes the tooth to be pulled out of the socket, this is an avulsion. An avulsed tooth should be immediately placed back into the socket - if it is covered in debris, gently wash the root with water avoiding contact with the root surface. If you are unable to reimplant the tooth due to an obstruction or pain, clean the tooth carefully and place in a glass of milk or under your tongue and see a dentist immediately. An avulsed tooth can be reimplanted successfully if the tooth is reimplanted within a hour of avulsion. It will require root canal treatment after the bone heals and the tooth is held rigidly again.

What counts as a dental emergency?:   

1. Severe tootache or jaw pain.    
2. Dental abscess or swelling in jaw. 
3. A knocked out toot. (Avulsion)  
4. A large crack or chip in tooth. 
5. A broken tooth or large part of tooth is missing.    
6. a loose tooth. 

With pain it is normally a dental emergency. The quicker you get to the dentist-the quicker it can be solved. - Richard Lestz, DDS