Emergency Help
What to do if you have a broken tooth
Rinse your mouth with warm salty water to clean the area. Keep the area as clean as possible with gentle tooth brushing and flossing. If you have pain toothache drops may help temporarily. Call Duncraig Village Dental immediately.
- During office hours - Duncraig Village Dental practice on 08 9246 9911
- After hours - contact LifeCare Dental on 08 9221 2777
What to do for a bitten lip or tongue
Clean the area gently with a cloth and apply cold compresses to reduce any swelling. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, go to a hospital emergency room immediately.
What to do if objects get caught between the teeth
Try to gently remove the object with dental floss; avoid cutting the gums. Never use a sharp instrument to remove any object that is stuck between your teeth. If you can’t dislodge the object using dental floss, contact Duncraig Village Dental immediately.
Saving a Knocked-Out Tooth
With proper emergency action, a tooth that has been entirely knocked out of its socket often can be successfully replanted and last for years. Because of this, it is important to be prepared and know what to do if this happens to you or someone with you. The key is to act quickly, yet calmly, and follow these simple steps.
- Pick up the tooth by the crown (the chewing surface) not the root.
- The tooth should be handled carefully - touch only the crown - to minimize injury to the root.
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Clean tooth with water.
If dirty, gently rinse the tooth with water, remembering not to handle the root surface.
- Do not use soap or chemicals.
- Do not scrub the tooth.
- Do not dry the tooth.
- Do not wrap it in a tissue or cloth.
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Reposition tooth in socket immediately, if possible.
The sooner the tooth is replaced, the greater the likelihood it will survive. To reinsert, carefully push the tooth into the socket with fingers, or position above the socket and close mouth slowly. Hold the tooth in place with fingers or by gently biting down on it.
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Keep tooth moist at all times.
The tooth must not be left outside the mouth to dry. If it cannot be replaced on the socket, put it in one of the following:
- Emergency tooth preservation kit
- Milk
- Mouth (next to cheek)
- If none of these is practical, use water (with pinch of salt if possible).
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See a dentist as soon as possible.
Bring the tooth to a dentist or endodontist as soon as possible - ideally within 30 minutes. However, it is possible to save the tooth even if it has been outside the mouth for an hour or more.
What to do if you have a toothache
Rinse the mouth out with warm salty water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss or an interdental cleaner to ensure that there is no food or other debris caught between the teeth.
Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. If the pain persists, contact Duncraig Village Dental immediately.
Proprietary toothache drops are helpful if it is not possible to see a dentist right away. If you have a cavity a small soaked cotton pellet placed inside may ease the pain temporarily.
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