Dental emergencies tend to happen at the most inconvenient of times! That is why at Camp Hill Dental we set aside appointment times, on a regular daily basis, to accommodate for your possible dental emergency. We understand how vital is it to make our clients comfortable and eliminate dental pain. However, we do recommend that once your emergency care has been completed, we schedule a Comprehensive Examination to determine if there are other areas of concern.
Dental emergencies outside of practice hours, make it difficult to arrange a dental assistant, but if a sudden emergency arises (for example, your child falls over and breaks a tooth), please phone Dr Perry on her mobile: 0438 431 894.
If you experience a toothache or other dental emergency outside of practice hours, it may advisable to visit a GP for a prescription of antibiotics. We also recommend taking suitable painkillers (Panadol, Panadeine or Nurofen) to ease your discomfort.
Tooth Lost By Trauma
If it is a first (deciduous) "baby" tooth there is no need to place the tooth back in to the socket as this may damage emerging permanent teeth.
If it is a permanent tooth, and the root is intact, lightly wash the tooth in milk to remove visible dirt (do not touch the root of the tooth at all), then replace the tooth into the socket as soon as possible. The sooner this can be done, the better the prospect that the tooth will survive.
If it is not possible to replace the tooth back in to the socket, then position the cleaned tooth in the mouth (under the tongue) to smother the tooth with saliva or in a container of milk and take it with you to the dentist immediately.
Do not place the tooth in water as this may damage the root surface of the tooth.
Toothache
Often a toothache, which wakes you in the middle of the night, is a tooth that requires either root canal treatment or extraction. Take painkillers and arrange to see a dentist as soon as practical. Sometimes antibiotics may be required to settle the infection. If there is a very large swelling (especially affecting breathing etc.), hospitalization with intravenous antibiotics may be required.
If possible, avoid chewing on the problem tooth and steer clear of foods/drinks that are particularly hot or cold. Sometimes sealing the tooth with "Bluetack" can keep food and air out of the hole in your tooth. These steps will help to minimize the discomfort until we are able to schedule your appointment.
Other Emergency Care Procedures
Click on the links below to learn more about the following Emergency Care procedures: