Dental emergencies can happen at any time. You may break a tooth when you trip over your dog and hit your face against the wall. You could wake up with a horrible toothache, or pull out a filling eating a caramel. Maybe you will get hit with an elbow while trying to take a mark in a football match, and have a tooth knocked out. What should you do when these things happen? First, you should remain calm, then pick up the phone and call us. We will try to fit you into our schedule and help you the same day. If you have a dental emergency, call our Docklands dental office at (03) 9021-9487, and we will make every effort to get you in right away.
Call Us First
When a dental emergency happens, call our office first thing. Our doctors realize that time is crucial in an emergency, and we will do everything possible to fit you into our schedule. We find that very often a quick procedure will alleviate your pain and we can send you on your way. The doctors handle all kinds of dental emergencies including, but not limited to, severe tooth pain or sensitivity, objects stuck between the teeth, trauma to the mouth and gums, and cracked, broken, or knocked out teeth. Call us as soon as an emergency happens, so we can give you instructions on how to handle the emergency until you can get to our office.
Handling Emergencies at Home
Emergencies can happen at any time, including outside our business hours. If your emergency involves severe trauma or injuries with bleeding that won’t stop, go to the emergency room and seek help immediately. For other, less serious emergencies, we offer some steps you can take at home until we can get you into the office.
- Toothache – Thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water and use dental floss to gently remove any food lodged between the teeth. If you notice swelling, you can use a cold compress on the outside of the mouth to relieve it.
- Chipped or broken teeth – Rinse your mouth with warm water, then rinse any pieces of the tooth you manage to save. If you notice any bleeding, bite down on a piece of gauze until it stops. Use a cold compress on the outside of the mouth to control swelling, and make sure you bring any saved pieces of the tooth with you when you come to the office.
- Lost filling – If you can’t get to our office right away, you can stick a piece of sugarless gum in the cavity. Don’t use a gum with sugar in it, as that will cause pain.
- Knocked out tooth – You first need to try and find the tooth. Pick it up by the crown and rinse the root with water without scrubbing or removing any tissue. If possible, you can try to put the tooth back in the socket, but do not force it. If you cannot reinsert the tooth, place it in a small container with milk or salt water. Try to get to us right away, as teeth have the best chance of being saved within one hour of being knocked out.
Call Us for an Appointment
When an emergency happens, contact our office without delay. We are open six days a week, and will do our best to fit you into our schedule the same day for emergency treatment. Call our Docklands dental office at (03) 9021-9487 for an appointment.