A Family’s Guide to Handling Dental Emergencies

United Dental Clinic
4 min readOct 9, 2024

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Illustration of a dentist team with a child patient in a dental chair, displaying dental tools and a chart. Text reads: “A Family’s Guide to Handling Dental Emergencies.

A dental emergency can occur when it is least expected, and usually, in such times, you might feel a great panic. Emergency circumstances could be falling out of your child’s tooth, experiencing a severe toothache or when there is a broken tooth crown.

In this guide, we will cover the most critical circumstances that require attention from emergency dental services, the steps to be ready when they arise, and why having the details of a dentist in your phonebook is important.

When does a dental issue require urgent care from emergency dental services?

Dental emergencies mean a dental crisis situation that demands immediate attention from a Northern Beaches Dental expert. Some common examples of dental emergencies include:

Knocked-out tooth

If your or your child’s tooth gets knocked out, it should be instantaneously looked after by a dentist to enhance the probability of saving it.

Toothache or abscesses

Throbbing pain could mean advanced conditions like abscessed teeth or dental caries that must be urgently addressed by a Family Dentist in Warriewood.

Tooth breaking or chipping

A chipped tooth exposes the nerves underneath and could damage them. Such a situation causes pain and creates a chance for bacterial infection.

Broken braces or wires

All those who have braces know that a wire breaking can be quite uncomfortable and needs a prompt fix from Northern Beaches Dental experts to avoid any injuries or hitches in treatment.

It is critical to attend to the problem immediately. In many situations, without the help of a dentist, further complications can develop. Therefore, knowing how to contact an emergency dentist is vital to minimise any unnecessary damage.

Intervention in an Adverse Dental Situation: A Family Dental Emergency Guide

With the right dental emergency preparation, what would have otherwise been a chaotic circumstance can easily be turned around and controlled. Given that, here is how the family can prepare for a dental emergency:

Develop a Dental Emergency Kit

This kit should include:

  • A gauze to manage the bleeding.
  • A small container with a proper lid for keeping a knocked-out tooth.
  • Appropriate pain relief, including medicines for children and adults.
  • Contact details of your family dentist in Warriewood or the nearest Northern Beaches dental clinic.

Know Your Local Emergency Dentists

Say, for instance, after office hours or at weekends when the family dentist is not available, the phone numbers of a dentist available for such emergencies should be a part of your dental emergency preparation. Since emergencies are unexpected, quick and easy access to this information is necessary.

Discuss an Emergency Plan

Have a family discussion to map out the steps that can be taken in a dental emergency. Ensure that every member of the household is informed of basic first-aid procedures, particularly the children, such as first-aid steps for a mouth injury or a step that needs to be taken in case a severe toothache occurs. Having a family dental emergency guide on how to respond to such crises helps to reduce unnecessary anxiety.

Emergency Dental Care Tips

Understanding how to deal with a dental emergency helps to preserve a tooth, alleviate pain, and eliminate the chances of worsening an infection. Here are some emergency dental care tips for the most common situations:

Knocked Tooth

  • The first step is to locate the dislodged tooth. Remember to hold it by only touching the crown part of the tooth.
  • If the tooth is contaminated, wash it with water. Do not scrub or remove any tissue from the surface.
  • Try to position the tooth back in the oral socket if you can locate it. If it’s not possible, submerge the tooth in milk. After that, bring it to the dentist immediately.
  • A dentist must be contacted in thirty minutes for successful reinsertion of the tooth.

Severe Toothache

  • Warm water can be swished around the mouth in order to flush the area out.
  • Aspirin should not be placed on the gums or the teeth directly since it can also cause burns.
  • For quick services, contact your family dentist in Warriewood.

Damaged or Fractured Tooth

  • Take warm water and rinse your mouth.
  • Put an ice pack on the face to bring down the swelling.
  • Do not use that area for chewing.

Broken Braces or Wires

  • If a wire from braces is sticking into your gums, orthodontic wax should be used to cover the sharp.
  • Do not attempt to cut the wire since you may end up swallowing it.

Tooth abscess

  • You can use some mild saltwater to rinse your mouth in order to make the tooth pain calm down and/or allow the pus to come closer to the surface.
  • You should never try to pop the abscess on your own.
  • Once you’ve followed these emergency dental care tips, visit a nearby dental clinic.

How to Find a Reliable Emergency Dentist Near Me?

The following steps will help you get an emergency dentist in your area.

  • Use the search phrase emergency dentist near me to find the dentists operating during this condition.
  • Make sure that the dentist you’ve chosen has experience on various kinds of dental emergencies.
  • How do the actual patients view this clinic? Reviews can be useful to you in terms of knowing if such facilities can be able to handle the emergencies and the ordinary booking appointments as well.

Conclusion

No matter how scary a dental emergency may be, it is possible to eliminate every bit of that anxiety through planning. Keep a family dental emergency guide in place, know how to act in case of a different emergency and have the phone number of trusted family dentists in Warriewood. Also, it is important to act quickly as it will minimise damage and pain and help your family retain healthy, happy smiles.

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United Dental Clinic
United Dental Clinic

Written by United Dental Clinic

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