From sport accidents to severe toothaches, unexpected dental emergencies happen all the time to people of all ages. We understand that it can be extremely distressing to go through, especially when the person affected is your child or dependent. To help you with handling the situation, here’s are the steps you should take in order to best deal with a dental emergency.
1. Try Not To Panic
Experiencing some level of shock is common when it comes to dental emergencies, especially if is the result of an accident or an unexpected health condition. Before you commit to any action, give yourself a moment to breathe. You are going to be making important health related decisions so its best to calm yourself down as much as possible so you can do so rationally.
2. Evaluate your condition
Once you’ve taken a moment to calm down, it’s time to check in with yourself and take a look at your condition. Now you can consider whether or not your situation is an emergency and, in the event of an injury, assess how much visible damage has been done.
Some common symptoms that may indicate a dental emergency are:
- Severe toothache or jaw pain
- Severe discomfort
- Swelling
- Cracked or broken tooth
- Knocked out teeth
- Bleeding
- Signs of infection: pus, bad breath and swelling
- Sudden difficulty with chewing, speaking or moving your jaw
- Impacted wisdom tooth signs: pain and swelling
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you may need to receive emergency dental treatments. Do not ignore any of these symptoms as delaying treatment can lead to more damage and more severe health problems.
3. Ask For Help If You Need It
If you are experiencing a dental emergency, you may need some help and support. Make sure to let somebody know what has happened to you. Consider if you need any assistance for example, a lift to the dentist or somebody to speak for you if you are unable to speak due to discomfort.
4. Call The Dentist For An Emergency Dental Service
If you are wondering how to get an emergency dental appointment – rest assured, this is the easy step. Look into a reliable local emergency dental service in your area. For example, if you live in Currambine, an emergency dental clinic near currambine that accepts emergency appointments and is open on Saturdays is Kinross Drive Dental.
5. Prepare for your appointment
Prepare for your appointment by doing what you can to mitigate your discomfort. If the dentist you called made any recommendations of things to do before your appointment to alleviate some of your discomfort, take those steps.
Measures you can take to help with discomfort may include the following:
- If a tooth has been knocked out, save the tooth
- Use clean gauze or cotton balls to resolve bleeding
- Avoid taking blood-thinning medication such as aspirin if bleeding – it may worsen the bleeding and prevent clotting from occuring
- If you are in severe pain, over the counter painkillers may be used to relief the discomfort (make sure to take note of the type of pain experienced)
- To relieve swelling, place an icepack over the affected area
If you are concerned that your condition is fluctuating, you may take photos to track your condition so that you can explain it easier to your dentist.
Are You Experiencing A Dental Emergency In Currambine?
If you are in need of an emergency dentist near Currambine, Kinross Drive Dental is a reliable local clinic that provides emergency dental services six days a week, Monday to Saturday.
Contact our friendly reception to book an emergency appointment as soon as you can to prevent your condition from worsening. If you are an anxious patient or experience dental phobia, sleep dentistry options are available.