Emergencies

A warm salt water mouthwash will be able to keep any infection at bay and also may be able to relieve some pain you may be having.

Make sure when brushing, wisdom teeth are brushed really well, it may feel a bit tender in the area but brushing well will help alleviate the symptoms.

If pain is severe and gradually getting worse, there could be an infection, contact us immediately and we can assess your wisdom tooth/teeth and plan treatment if any is required.

Some more useful information about wisdom teeth:

People usually have 4 wisdom teeth, one in each quadrant of the mouth.
Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to come through into your mouth. They usually come through between the ages of 18 and 24 years.
Sometimes, a wisdom tooth does not come through properly into your mouth. It can get stuck, either under your gum or as it pushes through the gum. This is  called an impacted wisdom tooth.

Problems with wisdom teeth:

Infection around the gum of the wisdom tooth Tooth decay( caries) in wisdom tooth/teeth or the adjacent teeth due to the impacted wisdom tooth.
Gum disease
Cysts
We often remove impacted wisdom teeth that cause problems.
Sometimes we can treat non impacted wisdom teeth that are useful, but some need to be removed.

Keep the tooth safe in a container of milk. If you do not have milk, you can use a cup of water with a pinch of salt, if not available, store it in your own saliva.

Try to handle the knocked out tooth by the crown (the bit of tooth usually visible), not by the root (the pointed part usually in your gum).

Touching the root of the tooth can damage cells that may help to re-attach the tooth to the bone.
Gently rinse the tooth for ten seconds in cold running water to remove any dirt, but be careful not to scrub it. It is very important that the tooth doesn’t dry out.

The best chance of having a tooth replaced is to see your dentist within 1 hour. During your emergency dental appointment, a thorough examination will be needed.
Call as soon as possible and we will get you an emergency dental appointment booked in for you.

Call your dentist for advice on what to do and book an appointment as soon as possible.

Whilst waiting to be seen, treat it with warm salty mouth rinses and over the  counter painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen( whichever you are able to take).

Do not use any types of painkillers, such as aspirin, on the gum itself as this can burn the tissue.

Use a pain relieving gel for your mouth, this can be bought from pharmacies and supermarkets.

Eat soft foods, like yoghurt and try to avoid chewing with the sore tooth.

Reduce sugary snacks to ensure any decay you may have will be kept at bay and does not get any worse.

If there is food stuck between teeth or gums causing irritation, use dental floss to remove it. You can also use a cold compress on the outside of your mouth if you experience any swelling.

Causes of toothache:
● Tooth decay
● Dental abscess
● Cracked tooth or damaged tooth
● A loose or broken filling
● An infection
● Problems with your braces

Bleeding gums are caused by gum disease or gingivitis and sometimes more advanced gum disease called periodontitis. It’s very important that if your gums bleed regularly you see us for urgent care. Gum disease can lead to loss of teeth very quickly and must be addressed as soon as possible.

We highly recommend routine dental care for gums to avoid urgent
gum issues due to gum disease.

Symptoms of gum disease include:
● Your gums bleeding when you brush your teeth, floss or eat hard
foods such as apples
● Your gums becoming swollen, red and sore

Gum disease can lead to:
● Bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth
● Your gums shrinking
● Teeth becoming loose or falling out.

Sensitive teeth are typically the result of worn tooth enamel(caused by grinding or clenching of teeth, acidic diet and aggressive brushing) or exposed tooth roots. Sometimes, however, tooth discomfort is caused by other factors, such as a cavity, a cracked or chipped tooth , a worn filling, or gum disease.

Ideally, you should get this checked out by the dentist to find the cause and in the meantime can try a sensitive toothpaste.

Avoid sugar, fizzy and acidic drinks and don’t brush your teeth from side to side instead use gentle circular motion with the toothbrush.

If the sensitivity is affecting daily activities like eating, drinking and brushing your teeth, book an appointment with us and we can recommend procedures or treatments to help reduce sensitivity.

A dental crown is essentially a cap that fits over a damaged or decayed tooth to help restore natural appearance and function. If you have a crown that becomes loose, it’s essential to get it fixed to prevent any further damage.

If you suspect that you have a loose dental crown, make an appointment with your dentist right away. Until the appointment, avoid touching and wiggling the crown as much as possible as this can damage the crown.

Stay away from sticky and crunchy foods and use over-the-counter pain relievers as needed.

If you have a dental crown that has fallen out, find the crown, rinse it well, and take it to your dental appointment. If it is undamaged, your dentist can most likely re-cement it into place. Avoid sticky and crunchy foods and keep the area clean with an antiseptic rinse.

DO NOT use glue as a temporary cement as it may ruin the structure of the remaining tooth underneath the crown. If you can’t see us the same day, you can use a denture fixative to keep the crown in place as a temporary measure. However, this is not ideal, try to call us as soon as possible so we can book you in for an emergency dental appointment so we can fix the crown properly.

Call your dentist to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Let the dentist know if you’re in pain. If you can’t see us straight away, we suggest you do the following to protect your exposed tooth from damage until you see us:

Keep the filling so the dentist can determine whether to reuse it. Rinse with salt water to keep the area clean and remove any food debris from the tooth. Take care of the tooth with your dental hygiene routine.

Brush the area very gently where the filling came out.

Avoid chewing on the area on the exposed tooth.

Use temporary filling material available in medical stores or online, to protect the exposed tooth. This is only a temporary solution until you can get the filling repaired at your dentist.

A dental abscess is a build-up of pus in the teeth or gums caused by an infection. It needs urgent treatment by a dentist. A dental abscess will not go away on its own. If it is not treated soon, the infection can even spread to other parts of the body.

The dentist will assess you and you may require antibiotics to treat the abscess. Antibiotics are only available on prescription.The dentist may need to drain the pus in some instances.

Whilst you wait to be seen, to ease the pain, you can use over the counter painkillers or rinse your mouth out with a salt water mixture.

Use 1/2 a teaspoon of salt in about 250 ml or 8 ounces of water and rinse several times a day.