If you have an emergency during practice opening hours please call the practice and we will ensure that you are treated at the earliest possible opportunity – we would anticipate for the majority of cases this will mean on the same day.
If you have an emergency at the weekend or on a bank holiday, please call your practice and your call will be directed to our on-call dentist.
Outlined below are a few helpful guides to assist you when dealing with dental emergencies:
If you have a broken tooth or a lost filling, don’t panic! Usually these situations are only irritating to the tongue and a little sensitive and you probably don’t need to visit the emergency clinic. Keep the area as clean as best you can and contact the practice at your earliest convenience.
If the tooth is not sensitive or unsightly, keep the crown in a safe place and contact us at your earliest convenience. If the tooth is sensitive or unsightly then you can get some temporary crown cement from your local chemist but please do not use any other glue based materials as this may prevent us from being able to re-cement the crown permanently.
Sometimes food gets trapped beneath the piece of gum that covers over the wisdom tooth.
This can cause swelling, heat and occasionally can prevent full opening of the mouth.
In such cases, the best thing to do is keep the area clean with a toothbrush and Chlorohexidine Mouthwash (which can be purchased from the chemist). You may also need some pain killers – any that would normally be taken for headaches are suitable. If this does not resolve the problem then please contact the practice.
If the problem is with a baby tooth that has been knocked out completely or pushed up into the gum, please try not to worry! Usually tender loving care, pain relieving medication and reassurance will see you through until you can get to see us. It is, however, very important that you contact us as soon as possible as this will need careful monitoring.
For adult teeth, if the tooth has been cracked or chipped but is not too painful then please do not be overly concerned. Contact us as soon as possible and we will be able to help.
For any more serious accidents, please visit the A&E department of your nearest hospital. It may occasionally be possible to save teeth that have been completely knocked out – the best chance of doing this is if the tooth is stored in either the persons mouth or milk until you reach hospital.
