An emergency dentist is a dental professional who specialises in treating patients with urgent or otherwise acute dental problems. The vast majority of dental problems aren’t emergencies, but there are certain situations when you should seek immediate treatment from an emergency dentist.
Here at The Tooth Spa, we offer professional dental treatment to our patients in Leeds and the surrounding areas. While we have always provided braces, veneers, oral cancer screenings, and more – but we have now started offering our patients emergency dental treatment! But what can an emergency dentist do? Keep reading this helpful article to find out!
What To Do If You Have a Dental Emergency
If you have an emergency situation and aren’t sure what to do next, call your dentist’s office immediately. Depending on the severity of the situation, you could receive a same day appointment or be offered a referral for another day. If your dentist doesn’t have emergency appointments available, you can ring 111 to find a dental clinic that does. If the situation is a serious emergency, such as experiencing uncontrollable bleeding from the mouth, we recommend visiting A&E.
Emergency Dental Treatments
There are many situations that require the services of an emergency dentist. If you think you are in need of emergency dental treatment, check out our blog on What Defines a Dental Emergency for more information.
Emergency dentists can offer the same treatment as general dentists, but during a shorter treatment period. Therefore, an emergency dentist will be able to treat the following dental issues:
Broken Dental Crowns:
A broken crown is often one of the most painful dental injuries that can happen. If the crown has broken off and is still in the mouth, it may need to be removed by a dentist. If the crown has fallen out of the mouth, it may be possible for a patient to find it themselves and bring it in for repair. In other cases, an emergency dentist may simply be able to replace the damaged crown with a new one right away.
First Aid for Dental Emergencies:
If you’re at home when your tooth breaks or has some other kind of injury, there are some things you can do to help the process along until you get to the dentist. It’s important to rinse out your mouth with warm water and gargle with warm salt water or baking soda and water mixture. This will help clean out any debris that might be stuck between teeth or on the gums around the injured area.
Lost Filling:
A lost filling can cause pain and infection if not taken care of quickly enough. An emergency dentist will remove any decay around the area and then replace the filling immediately with a temporary solution until you can see your regular dentist again.
Cracked Tooth
Cracked teeth need special attention since they are more likely to become infected after trauma than other types of dental problems. An emergency dentist will take an x-ray of your mouth and then provide treatment based on the findings.
Toothache:
Toothache is one of the most common reasons people visit an emergency dentist, but it’s not always an emergency. A toothache is only considered an emergency if it’s accompanied by swelling and fever, or if you have pain that wakes you up at night. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your dentist immediately.
Knocked-Out Tooth:
If a knocked-out tooth is still in the mouth, try placing it back in its socket. Don’t worry if it doesn’t fit perfectly; this will help preserve blood flow and keep the tooth alive until you can see a dentist. If possible, place the tooth back into its socket as soon as possible and then put ice on top of it to reduce swelling.
Out of Hours Treatment
An emergency dentist is also called an oral surgeon or orthodontists, depending on the speciality of the dentists he or she has chosen. The main purpose of this profession is to treat patients who have suffered from serious dental injuries or other dental emergencies such as abscesses and infections. An emergency dentist also performs root canals and other procedures that cannot wait until regular office hours are over.
The services provided by an emergency dentist include tooth extraction and root canal treatments, which may require local anaesthesia depending on how long they take and how much pain they cause while they’re being performed.
Want to know more? Contact The Tooth Spa today!
Our team is committed to providing high quality emergency dental treatment to our patients in Leeds and the surrounding areas. If you would like more information on this service, or to book an emergency dental appointment, get in touch with our team today. We’re only a phone call away so don’t hesitate! We look forward to hearing from you.