What happens in a dental emergency?

A dental emergency can happen to anyone, at any age and during anytime of the day. Dental emergencies are often unpredictable and it’s hard to know who to call in a moment of panic.

August 23, 2021

Usually, people may go straight to Emergency at the Hospital, not knowing that little can be done besides monitoring the patient and providing medication to alleviate the pain.

All dental emergencies must be treated by a Dentist with Dental Emergency experience. Of course, if a Dental Emergency occurs outside your Dentist working hours and the pain is unbearable, seek help immediately at your nearest Hospital.

What are the common dental emergencies?

Dental emergencies can be:

• A severe toothache that won’t settle with over-the-counter painkillers.
• Cracked or broken teeth
• Knocked out tooth. If your tooth is recovered, your dentist may be able to save your tooth.

• Injury to lips, tongue, cheeks or gums.
• Swelling of the gums or face.
• Severe pain in the jaw or neck.

All these dental emergencies can be a sign of:

• Dental Injury. A knocked-out tooth, a cracked or broken tooth, a bad lip, tongue or gums cut, or a broken jaw are all dental injuries that need to be examined as soon as possible to prevent infections, heavier pain and further complications. Applying ice to the jaw is very important to keep the swelling controlled until the dentist can see you.

• Dental abscess. An abscess is a bacterial infection that causes pain and swelling. If left untreated, it can cause fever, swelling and severe pain.

• Gum disease. Also known as Gingivitis, it is an inflammation of the gums, usually caused by a bacterial infection. When food and plaque get trapped between the gums and the teeth, it can cause an infection to the gums, and if left untreated, it may become very painful.

• Tooth infection. Usually, a cavity or crack in the tooth allows germs to enter inside your tooth, causing tooth pain. If left untreated, it may cause a tooth infection.

How to ease pain until you visit your dentist

• Contact your dentist immediately and ask for a dental emergency appointment.

• Take over-the-counter painkillers (you should consult with your dentist or a health professional to see which ones are suitable for you)
• Rinse your mouth with warm saltwater. If you do not have a saline solution at home, it can be prepared easily by mixing half a cup of warm water with a one-third teaspoon of sea salt.

• Swish the warm salt water around in your mouth for 30 seconds to two minutes to help kill bacteria.

• Use cold compresses to help alleviate the pain close to the affected area.

How do we manage a Dental Emergency?

At Gold Coast Holistic Dental Care, we know how important it is for anyone to feel that their dentist can assist them in an emergency. This is why we put dental emergencies first and will move everything around to assist anyone seeking treatment in a dental emergency.

Once you arrive at our practice, you will be fully examined by one of our dentists, who has vast experience in dental emergencies. This is done to help assess the severity of your case and discuss possible solutions or treatment options.

We aim to make all our patients feel as relaxed as possible so that they know that they can trust us to help them resolve their issues.

What can you expect after a dental emergency appointment and treatment?

Depending on the Dental Emergency, there might be cases where you might feel discomfort.

Rest is critical after your treatment so make sure you can take a few days off work or studies to focus on resting and recovering. Your dentist will be able to recommend the best cause of action and a likely recovery period.

Staying hydrated is also a key aspect of recovery. Depending on what treatment was done, you may also want to eat soft food and avoid anything hard, very hot or cold.

Following your treatment, we will follow you up during the recovery period to make sure everything is going well and will schedule appointments to make sure everything is healing accordingly.

When is it okay to go to the emergency room at the hospital?

1. When the Dental Emergency occurs outside your Dentist’s working hours.

2. When there is continuous bleeding, and your dentist cannot see you as soon as possible

3. When there is an injury to the face that involves bones, and the pain is severe.

Emergency Dentist Gold Coast

To book an emergency appointment with any of our dentists at our practice, please call us on (07) 5644 6000 or book an appointment online.