Dental Emergencies – How To Avoid Them And What To Do When You Can’t

Epsom dentist, Dr Amro Ismail, explains what to do when a serious dental problem arises

On a day-to-day basis, most of us probably think little about our teeth other than remembering to clean them and perhaps checking if our smile looks OK before we go out for an evening.

If you can do this confidently, it probably means that you are generally looking after your teeth well, and providing that you maintain regular appointments at the Clocktower Dental, Implant & Facial Centre, there is every chance that you will only need minor treatment from time to time, if at all.

Unfortunately though, there is no guarantee that this will continue, especially for those who perhaps don’t look after their teeth to the degree that they should.

Even people who take very good care of their teeth, though, can find themselves in a situation where they need urgent dental care.

Accidents

Let us start with those who really do take good care of their teeth. Painful toothaches and the like are less likely to occur in this group, but like everyone else, they are not immune from accidents. These are not always our fault and can be the result of slipping on ice and falling, or even a car accident. This can result in many problems, depending on the severity of the accident, with broken or even knocked out teeth being one of the most likely issues.

If damage has been caused to the teeth in this way, it is quite likely that the head will have been impacted and before seeking emergency dental treatment, you should consider whether to go to the A&E first to make sure that there are no serious head injury issues. If you are happy that this is not the case or you have been given the all clear, then you should contact our Epsom dental practice as soon as you possibly can.  If we happen to be closed at the time, there will be a message telling you what to do if it is a problem that can’t wait. If we are open, please let our receptionists know the details of your problem and we will do all that we can to see you as soon as possible.

Severe toothache

Many of us will have experienced a painful toothache at some point in our life. Anyone who has will know that they can be all consuming and although the tooth may be small, the effect can take over our whole body making distraction techniques such as reading or watching TV quite difficult. Of course, not all toothaches are this severe and can sometimes just be a throbbing and uncomfortable sensation rather than severe pain.

Although we will always try to prioritise those who are in severe pain with a toothache, you should always contact us straight away if you have a toothache of any type. Whilst ending the pain might be your main priority, the reality is that even if your toothache is not too bad at present, it has very possible that any infection or damage will spread further. At best, this is likely to mean a larger filling will be needed than if you had contacted us straight away. At worst, it could lead to infection of the root canals of your teeth and the need for a root canal procedure, or possibly even the loss of the tooth.

Chips, cracks and other ‘minor’ issues

The word ‘emergency’ can sometimes deter people from contacting  the Clocktower Dental, Implant & Facial Centre when they really should. Whilst we will always try to see those in pain first, that doesn’t mean that other types of tooth damage shouldn’t be treated as soon as possible. A small chip or a crack in the tooth, for example, may not hurt or even be causing much of a problem, but any impact on the teeth such as these can cause them to weaken. This means that a tooth that once could cope with eating something fairly hard may no longer be able to do so and could break. Even if it doesn’t, any damage could allow bacteria access to the inner part of the tooth and decay or root canal infections could follow.

Reducing the need for emergency dentistry

As can be seen above, some emergencies, such as slipping on ice or car accidents are often unavoidable. We should, of course, take sensible precautions such as wearing sensible footwear in icy conditions and driving safely. Sadly though, even that doesn’t guarantee that you won’t have accidents, although it does reduce the risk. For other problems like toothache; making sure that you have a good oral health regime at home, supported by both regular dentist and hygienist visits should help to ensure that your teeth remain healthy.

Make sure that if you do experience a significant dental problem, you call us straight away. In serious cases, we will do our best to see you the same day wherever possible. With that in mind, please call us as early on in the day as you can to help us achieve this.

If you need to see an emergency dentist at our Epsom clinic, please call us on 01372 720136 and explain the nature of your problem to our friendly receptionists.

Dr Amro Ismail – GDC No 271779