If you look at some of the most idiotic emergency calls that are made to the emergency services in the city of London each year, you’ll probably find some pretty pointless dental ‘emergencies’ in there somewhere as well. The thing is, you need to get down to your dentist and find out exactly what constitutes a dental emergency because they certainly will put the phone down if you pester them at 4am in the morning with a chipped tooth and you won’t be to popular with the ambulance service either. Your dentist can supply you with all of the information you need to know in a crisis as long as you clue yourself up about the crisis, and then offer you an out of hours hotline if you do get into trouble. On many occasions, you can remedy most problems such as a filling falling out, a chip, a veneers dropping off or a crack in one of your teeth by using painkillers until your dentist can see you- uncomfortable yes, an emergency no. If you lose a tooth, yes phone the hotline for advice. An abscess, get yourself straight to hospital as this is serious, but don’t go panicking if you have just misplaced your aligner or dentures under the bed because you are not going to be popular in the slightest.
Posts tagged “dental emergency”
Confronting a Dental Emergency in the City of London
December 27th, 2011Contact your London W1 dentist immediately to deal with dental emergencies
February 27th, 2011
Serious and sudden problems affecting your mouth are best dealt with immediately so that things do not get much worse in a short space of time. If you have such a problem you should contact your London W1 dentist without delay so that your mouth can be examined by a trained professional who is expert in oral matters.
Dental emergencies can occur if you have had a serious accident. In physical situations teeth can easily be dislodged or knocked out altogether. One of your teeth or a number of them might have been subject to heavy impact which leaves them in excruciating and sustained pain, sometimes with a change in colour too.
If your teeth become sufficiently damaged to the point where an infection occurs then this can compromise your general health as the infection might enter the blood stream. For this reason it is vital that a dentist is consulted as soon as possible so that the problem can be put right.
Your dentist might need to replace a tooth or perhaps remove a damaged one and installing a temporary replacement so that infection cannot spread and there is a functioning replacement tooth in the place of the lost one. If your tooth has been damaged internally then root canal treatment might be necessary to clear it of infection or debris.
It is better to be safe than sorry and you should always go and see your London W1 dentist if you fear that a dental emergency is occurring. Your oral health is not worth compromising for the sake of saving face and your dentist should always be understanding about your concerns.
What to do in dental emergency – ask your City of London dentist
October 11th, 2010
Dental emergencies can be very frightening. This is because not only can they be very painful but they can also induce a feeling of helplessness. This is because when something goes wrong it feels like there is nothing you can do. Depending on the emergency there are a few important things you need to know.
Firstly, you need to see a dentist as soon as possible. If the emergency happens during practice hours then you will be able to contact your own dentist. They will be able to see you in between other appointments and deal with your emergency. But what do you do if your emergency happens outside of practice hours? Your dentist will have information about what to do on their answering phone service. This will usually be instructions about how to contact the emergency on-call dentist. They will then either be able to see you as soon as possible or at very least give you some advice about what you need to do.
If the problem is extremely serious then obviously you should call a ambulance or go to the emergency department at your nearest hospital.
However, there are few things you need to know about how you respond to a dental emergency. If a tooth has been knocked out you can try and replace it immediately. If the tooth will not slot back in, don’t try and force it but cover it in milk or saliva and try to see a dentists as soon as possible. This will keep the tooth alive for long enough for the dentist to replace. This will hopefully avoid the need for any kind of dental restoration in the future, which you will save you time and money and you get to keep your real tooth. You can ask your City of London dentist for more information about what to do in a dental emergency.
What do I do if I get toothache in the night? A City of London dentist talks dental emergencies
August 13th, 2010
A toothache is a kind of dental emergency, accidents also happen all the time and a chipped or cracked tooth can result from one, this is what a dental emergency is says a City of London dentist. What we all should have is some knowledge of dental emergencies, so we can effectively deal them at any time. Most of us know what to do with cuts and abrasions, and have some antiseptic cream and plasters handy, but not many people know what to do in a dental emergency or even have anything to deal with it. Next time you`re passing the chemists go in and buy a dental kit, they contain enough handy things to temporarily deal with most dental emergencies. For a filling that has dropped out you have dental gum that will plug the opening, and protect the nerve until you get to a dentist. For tooth ache you have Oil of Cloves, and for a cracked or chipped tooth you`ll need some dental cement. If you get caught out just mixing up some ground salt and pepper into a paste, using a drop or two of water, will also help, it’s an old wives tale cure, but it works. Like Oil of Cloves the mixture produces heat and that will calm the nerve, it won`t deaden it entirely but it will go some way to giving you some relief. Whisky or Brandy can be left to lie around the tooth, but don’t drink lots of it as a pain killer, remember that you`ll want to get to a dentist as soon as you can, and going there drunk isn’t a good idea.
The basic steps to handle a dental emergency are explained by a Central London dentist
May 1st, 2010
The best way to deal with a dental emergency is to first of all don`t panic, more damage can be done to a injured tooth or a gum problem if the basic guidelines are not adhered to. A Central London dentist has spoken out recently and given some very good and sensible advice on the subject. A chipped tooth is a common emergency and this often exposes the nerve, which causes great and excruciating pain, the first thing to do is to calm the injured person down by putting a warm, not too hot, water soaked cloth on the outside of the cheek. If you don’t have a temporary dental repair kit in the house, then sugar free chewing gum can be used to cover the exposed part of the tooth. In an extreme case a hospital or night time dental surgery visit may be necessary, but this is rare. Do not under any circumstance give the patient any alcohol, it doesn’t clean or numb the pain and will most likely infect the tooth causing more problems later on. Dental cement is of course the best temporary repair and it is advisable to be like the scouts,` Always Prepared`, by buying a kit from a chemist before the incident happens. Tooth ache is another problem in dental emergencies, these are usually caused by an infection or even stress. Again do not put alcohol onto a toothache, no matter how many old wives tell you to, it will do nothing to alleviate the problem. Oil of Cloves is a good temporary measure, the heat generated will penetrate the porous layers and relieve the pain until you can get to a dentist. Salt and pepper mixed with a little water to make it bond will also help in the absence of Oil of Cloves. However the best advice is to prepared and keep an in date emergency kit in the cupboard.
Dental Emergencies and how to deal with them by a Central London dentist
April 9th, 2010
A Dental Emergency is as important as a medical one says a dentist in Central London. There are many measures we can do at home when such a situation occurs, so it isn’t always about getting to a dentist in the middle of the night. Some very good `old wives tales` provide us with some very ingenuitive ways to temporarily treat a dental emergency, but it is also important to get to a dentist to look at the problem as soon as possible. One measure is a simple kit that is available in most chemists, most of us have a medical box with plasters, ointment and bandages in it, but not many people think about being prepared for a dental emergency in the night. The kits generally consist of a bottle of Oil of Cloves, dental cement and baby bud style applicators. A tooth ache is the most common emergency and this is quickly taken care of with a dab of Oil of Cloves, this works almost instantly by reacting on the tooth and producing heat. This is a great way to numb the tooth and the ache. The tooth is made up of layers and is quite porous so the oil will quickly be absorbed. A chipped tooth or a crack is another matter altogether, and this will require a bit more skill to make a temporary repair. If you don’t have a dental kit then covering the exposed part of the tooth with a sugar free gum will also do the trick. If you have a kit then use the dental cement to cover the crack or exposed part of the tooth, do not use Oil of Clover on a tooth with an exposed part. The dental cement will protect it from further damage whilst not harming what is left. Get to a dentist as soon as possible afterwards.
Handling dental emergencies; advice by a London W1 dentist
January 12th, 2010
If you have a dental emergency then you are well advised to have numbers to hand. Dentists are the same as a G.P. in certain respects regarding out of hours and in hour’s emergencies. Making sure you have numbers on your mobile as well as in your home phone address book, is a good start. You would also be well advised to know before hand where the surgery is, if you have a Sat-Nav then get the address post code pre-programmed in. If not then go online to AA route planner and print off the route, its very simple and will save you panicking when you or a friend are in pain. Using some common sense will alleviate the stress that many dentists have to also contend with when dealing with an emergency. The London W1 dentist knows only too well the added pressure of treating a patient who is stressed out by getting an appointment, and then getting to the surgery. An emergency can be anything from a toothache to a seriously chipped tooth, for a toothache there are some very old remedies available to hand in every kitchen. First wash your mouth out with warm water and remove any food lodged around the tooth by flossing. If you have any Oil of Clover then apply it to the tooth using a baby bud, this will usually do the trick temporarily. If you don’t have that then improvise by mixing some salt and pepper together into a paste, with a drop of water, again apply it to the tooth using a baby bud or your small finger. The heat produced will alleviate the pain. Chipped teeth are a different matter, and will often need immediate attention by a dentist to avoid more expensive treatment later on.
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