If you or those in your care are currently experiencing a dental emergency in the Haberfield area of New South Wales, you can contact Haberfield Dental Practice for an emergency dental appointment by calling (02) 9797 8080 or emailing info@haberfielddentists.com.au. Our opening hours are 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, but we endeavour to respond to and address all emergency queries as soon as possible outside of our opening hours.
Read on to find out more about emergency dental situations which your child may experience, and what to do about them.
A dental emergency can happen at any point of your life, but we are most prone to dental trauma in our childhood. Baby teeth can be weaker than adult teeth and vulnerable because they are undergoing continuous change. Furthermore, children may not be as protective with their teeth compared to adults and often are less aware of the risks involved with certain situations. They are busy exploring, playing and having fun, and sometimes this may result in a dental emergency.
A dental emergency is a situation that requires immediate dental care. It is a time-sensitive situation where receiving treatment in a timely manner has the chance to improve someone’s oral health, whereas inaction may result in permanent damage. Extreme pain may also count as a dental emergency. In this article, Haberfield Dental Practice outlines a few possible dental emergency situations, and what to do about them.
Examples of dental emergencies
Alveolar Fracture. A person’s tooth roots are housed within the alveolar bone, and it is possible for dental trauma to break a part of this bone, either fully or partially. This fracture may occur at any level of the tooth and be associated with soft tissue injuries. The general goal of your dental care at your Haberfield dentist or Ashfield dentist at this point may be repositioning or re-securing this broken segment and determining a treatment plan going forward.
Tooth avulsion, or complete dislodgment of the tooth from its socket. When a tooth is completely knocked out of its socket, this exposes the periodontal ligament. Typically, the process of the tooth being knocked out will have torn the fibres of this ligament and potentially resulted in cell damage. The fate of the tooth will depend on the length of time before seeking emergency dental care at your dentist Summer Hill. Leaving it too long can result in the tooth not being able to be replaced. It may increase the likelihood of ‘resorption’ whereby the body attacks the tooth root as if it was a foreign body and increase the risk of bony fusion. These outcomes may be more likely in children, whose teeth are still growing and changing. If treated fast enough at your dentist Five Dock, a baby tooth or immature tooth may have a chance of maintaining blood supply and staying alive and in place.
Tooth extrusion or intrusion. It is also possible to suffer from tooth extrusion, where the tooth has come out partially, is now wobbly, and ligament damage has occurred. Another possible dental emergency is intrusion of the tooth, whereby it is pushed deeper into the socket, damaging the structure that supports the tooth. Treatment for these issues at your dental clinic may involve your dentist placing the tooth back into its original position and allowing structures to heal.
Fractured or chipped teeth. In cases of a fracture, your Haberfield dentist will consider ways to prevent the expansion of this fracture and minimise the risk of infection. Likely treatment choices may include a dental crown, a root canal procedure, or extraction. If the tooth is actively chipped, cracked or broken, do as you would for a missing tooth, placing it in milk or saliva and arranging an emergency appointment at your Haberfield dentist. They may be able to glue or ‘splice’ the broken off-part of the tooth back into place.
Other types of dental emergency. Other examples of dental emergencies could include swollen gums or bulging gums, facial swelling, extreme pain, an incident involving impact to the face and mouth, and bleeding of the mouth that is not under control. A dental abscess may be associated with extreme pain, fever, swelling, and pus in the mouth, and also requires urgent treatment at your dentist Leichhardt.
What to do if your child’s tooth is knocked out?
First things first, are you able to determine if the tooth is a baby tooth or an adult tooth? If you are uncertain, it is safer to treat the tooth as a baby tooth. For a baby tooth, do not attempt to place it back into the socket from which it has been removed.
Firstly, find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, not the root. The crown is the part of the tooth that is usually above the gum line and the root is the root-like part that is usually within the gum below. If the tooth has been covered in dirt, rinse it in milk. If milk is not available to be used, rinse the tooth under tap water for two seconds without scrubbing or soaking the tooth.
If and only if you are certain the tooth is an adult tooth, place it back into its original position, if this can be done without applying force, ensuring to place the root in first so the tooth is not upside-down. With the tooth in place, you can now have the person (or yourself) gently bite down on a tissue or cloth to maintain the tooth’s position in the gap. Foil or a mouthguard may also be used to maintain the tooth’s position in transit.
If you suspect the tooth is a baby tooth or that it could be one, do not attempt to put the tooth back in, but rather to store it in milk or saliva.
With this done, your immediate priority is to attend a dentist Ashfield to ensure prompt care.
For more information or to arrange an appointment, contact Haberfield Dental Practice.