What to do if you have a genuine dental emergency.

On Evenings, weekends and public holidays, we operate an emergency dental advice line for registered patients of Family Dentistry.
Please telephone 07876 357 967 to contact a dentist for advice. Please note this is NOT an out of hours treatment line. Please remain mindful of the fact that the dentist you are directed to is providing advice as part of a goodwill service to our practice and they will decide whether they consider your problem an emergency under the NHS guidelines.

What makes a dental emergency?

As a guide, under the NHS charter:

• A chipped tooth
• a missing filling
• a lost crown (even at the front)
• a lost bridge (even at the front)
• a broken denture

Unfortunately these are not considered a genuine dental emergency, but please feel free to telephone the Emergency number to speak to a dentist for clarification.

Basic Advice for some dental emergencies

I think I have an abscess:

• Take painkillers - if possible Ibruprofen is the best for dental pain relief - BUT always read the label/advice sheet carefully before taking medication (For example - Asthmatics should not take ibruprofen)
• Take a mug of hot water and add a teaspoon of salt then hold a mouthful of this HOT SALTY WATER over the area for a couple of minutes at a time.
• NEVER HOLD ANYTHING WARM TO YOUR FACE (for example a hot towel), this will make it much worse.

My filling/crown has fallen out, is there anything i can do myself?

• There are kits available from the chemist called DENTANURSE to aid patients with a safe, quick, temporary solution to dental problems.

If your tooth is knocked out you should:

• Immediately call your dentist for emergency advice.
• Try to find the tooth.
• Gently rinse the tooth under water, but do not scrub to remove dirt or debris.
• Place the clean tooth in your mouth between the cheek and gum.
• Do not attempt to replace the tooth into the socket without advice. This could cause further damage.
• Get to the dentist as soon as possible. If it is within a half hour of the injury, it may be possible to re-implant the tooth.
• If it is not possible to store the tooth in the mouth of the injured person, (e.g., young child) wrap the tooth in a clean cloth or gauze and immerse in milk.