Any kind of medical emergency is likely to be stressful and exhausting for everyone involved. When it comes to dental emergencies, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in avoiding catastrophe. In many cases, frequent visits to the dentist will generally prevent an emergency from occurring, but this of course depends on the nature of the injury.
An emergency is not only for when a person has been in an accident, although it is common for a dentist in Mackay to assist a patient who has a broken or knocked out teeth due to a sporting injury or a fall.
Common dental emergencies actually tend to be more focused on pain that a patient begins to experience and is unable to deal with, without immediate care. Such pain is often caused by caries that have gone unnoticed or an abcess or infection that has spread to the nerve endings.
At any good dentist, a friendly and helpful professional will aim to see a patient in pain as quickly as possible. This means that often same day appointments are available every day for patients who are needing immediate care.
In the case of a knocked out tooth, the chances of reinserting the tooth are greatly diminished after an hour or so. With so little time to act, it is critical that patients act swiftly to remedy the situation as quickly as possible, giving them the best possible chances of keeping their teeth.
What can be done?
By not touching the avulsed tooth by the roots and simply handling the crown as little as possible, then the delicate tooth structures are less likely to be overhandled and damaged further, unintentionally.
By rinsing in milk or a saline solution rather than water, the cell walls are less likely to swell and rupture. If a patient can store the tooth in a jar of milk or better yet, reinsert it back into the socket if possible, then the tooth can be potentially preserved properly until the patient makes it into the dental practice.
What can be done about other dental emergencies?
Should a patient find themselves with a terrible toothache that needs to be immediately dealt with, there is no point in looking back into the past and thinking that something should have been done sooner.
No dentist will be judgemental towards their patients, however understanding that prevention is the best cure can save a lot of people from discomfort and potentially expensive dental bills.
There are many restorative treatments that can be done swiftly to get a person’s mouth back into a healthy state. During the emergency appointment, the issue will be identified, the area sanitised to reduce infection, pain relief will be administered if necessary and a temporary fix will allow patients relief until a more permanent solution can be organised.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
