Common Dental Emergencies and How to Avoid Them

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Common Dental Emergencies and How to Avoid Them

Experiencing pain in your mouth isn’t pleasant, whether you’ve got wisdom teeth coming through or you’ve had a tooth knocked out while playing sport.

While dentists do their best to help patients avoid dental emergencies, they can and do still happen, so it is important to know what to do if you, a team mate or a loved one experience any problems.

At Pitt Street Dental, we have put together our guide to four of the most common dental emergencies, along with our tips on how to avoid them!

WHAT IS A DENTAL EMERGENCY?

A dental emergency is any trauma involving the teeth or supporting tissues that requires immediate care to alleviate pain and minimise damage to the mouth. These kinds of issues may occur at any time, day or night.

Many local dentist practises operate by standard hours, such as 9am – 5pm, so in the event of a dental emergency, you may be required to seek help from elsewhere.

One way to prepare for a dental emergency, or any after-hours emergency, is to keep a list of local after-hours health care providers in an easy-to-find place, such as on the fridge. If you play sports, have a child who plays sports or you coach at a sporting club, having this information in your first aid kit is also a valuable choice.

KNOCKED OUT TOOTH

We commonly perform procedures on knocked out teeth, particularly on weekends when children and adults are playing sport. However, accidents and eating can also dislodge, move or knock out teeth.

If the tooth has been completely knocked out, it is important to take care of it with the following steps:

Pick up the tooth by the crown and carefully rinse it under water. The tooth may still have tissue from your mouth attached to it and if possible, it is essential to keep this in tact.

Try to re-insert the tooth back into its socket – this is crucial when it comes to trying to save the tooth

If the tooth cannot be re-inserted, you can put the tooth into a cup of warm water or milk, before heading straight to see an emergency dentist!

At Pitt Street Dental, we recommend anyone who participates in a contact sport to wear a mouthguard to protect their teeth. Your dentist can even make a custom-made mouth guard to mould to your teeth.

TOOTHACHE

The presence of a toothache or mouth pain may often be brushed off as nothing, however, it is important to remember that you are feeling that pain for a reason. A slight toothache may be uncomfortable to begin with, but with time, the toothache could escalate, leading to severe pain, tooth decay or infection.

At the first sign of a toothache, you should rinse your mouth with a salt solution, made from a teaspoon of salt dissolved in hot water, then left to cool. We also recommend that you give your teeth a good brush and get your floss out to dislodge any food that may be caught between your teeth.

The easiest and most effective way to avoid toothaches from decay is with regular oral care, such as brushing and flossing. Regularly visiting your dentist at Pitt Street Dental will also help to prevent an emergency in the future, as your dentist can identify any problem areas and either keep an eye on them or treat them before they become a serious issue.

CHIPPED, BROKEN OR CRACKED TOOTH

This type of trauma is often the result of an accident or sports injury, with pain ranging from mild to severe, depending on whether the nerve in your tooth has been affected or exposed.

If you have broken or chipped your tooth and experience severe pain, apply an icepack to the affected area, then call Pitt Street Dental or your local dentist for additional advice.

LOST FILLINGS & CROWNS

Hard foods such as rock candies, nuts and other foods with a tough shell or outer layer have the potential to crack fillings and crowns, especially if decay has destroyed the tooth under the filling or crown.

A cracked crown or lost filling can often leave the nerve in your tooth exposed, resulting in severe pain and sensitivity. On top of the pain, a lost filling or broken crown also results in a small hole that food and bacteria can get into, which could exacerbate the damage caused to the tooth.

If you do find yourself with a lost filling or crown, head to your emergency dentist in Sydney CBD, who will either remove the decay and place a new filling in the hole, or prepare your tooth for a new crown.

The best way to avoid damaging your crown or fillings is to keep up a good oral hygiene regime, as this will reduce the opportunity for decay to set into your teeth.

CHOOSE PITT STREET DENTAL AS YOUR EMERGENCY DENTIST IN SYDNEY CBD

Finding a dentist that you trust for a standard procedure, like a filling, can be hard enough work, let alone one who can perform emergency dentistry when you are in severe pain.

We know that dental emergencies can happen day or night, so Pitt Street Dental have emergency dentists in Sydney CBD available 24/7 to assist you with any issues you may have.

With a committed, highly skilled team of dental practitioners available, our patients know they are in the best care possible – whether they need an emergency filling or a tooth extraction.

For a reliable, professional emergency dentist in Sydney CBD, contact Pitt Street Dental today.

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DISCLAIMER:

The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. Pitt Street Dental Centre does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the content.

The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional personal diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a dental or medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen on the Site.