Dental emergencies can be a pain, not just in the physical sense of the word. Whether it be severe toothache or an abscess, sometimes waiting for an appointment with your local dentist just isn’t an option. In these cases it is possible to organise an ‘out -of -hours’ appointment with a local clinic through their emergency service.
In central Leeds there are several emergency clinics that can be contacted if you experience any of the following: toothache, broken or chipped teeth, lost fillings, abscesses, swelling or oral bleeding. In the case of most emergency dental practices you should ring the number provided and arrange an immediate appointment to address your problem. However, some clinics may utilise a ‘request emergency call back’ system by which you can enter your details online and a member of the practice will contact you as soon as possible in order to book an appointment or give professional advice.
In some cases, the emergency practice may advise going straight to A&E for serious dental problems, these include: facial swelling due to an abscess, a fractured or badly injured jaw, loss of consciousness due to a blow to the head and excessive oral bleeding.
There are NHS emergency clinics available and your local clinic can be found by ringing NHS direct or using the services directory. Out-of-hours dental care will cost £17.00 unless you are eligible to receive free NHS dental treatment. There are also private emergency clinics available to call, but the cost of treatment from any of these practices will be significantly higher than the NHS.
There’s an altercation and then there’s an emergency and when it comes to your mouth, it’s very important to distinguish between the two so that you don’t end up looking a fool and wasting your dentists time over nothing, but also, knowing when to save your life in the city of Leeds when something gets to disastrous levels in your mouth. Firstly, the basics- look after your mouth and you will reduce the risk factor. Secondly, make sure you are prepared for any eventuality that may crop up with having ‘products’ in the house to comfort you until you can get treatment. Now, it comes down to identifying problems and you should really ask your dentist about this so that you know what you are doing. Losing a filling, a veneer or a crown is not the end of the world, nor it getting a chipped tooth either and little problems like this can wait; yes they can cause minor irritations in the mouth but these can be eased with a few choice herbal remedies and mild pain-killers until you can be seen by your dentist. Tooth loss through an accident is a tad more serious and you should get the problem addressed as soon as you can so that the problem doesn’t escalate. But the real no-no is getting an abscess, and this is the time to call in the reinforcements, because within hours, an abscess can floor you and put your life in danger by infecting your blood and your brain. It’s down to you at the end of the day to prep yourself for an emergency and know how to deal with it.
It’s quite important for people to understand the difference between a silly mistake and a full blown emergency and in Leeds, it’s quite shocking to still find the emergency services being called up for the most trivial of reasons- so too with a dental emergency. Most dentists will have a hot-line you can call if you think you have a problem, but there is a difference between what is just a loss of a veneer of a chip to the tooth to having an abscess- which can be life threatening. Most problems in the mouth you can put up with until you can get to see your dentist by taking a few pills- chips that can cause lacerations to the tongue and gums, the loss of a filling or a veneer or a crown are not the end of the world and with a bit of common sense, can be dealt with at home until your dentist is free. Tooth loss through injury however can be slightly more serious as the rest of the mouth can quickly become infected and the rest of the teeth can suffer. Inflammations to the gums and teeth are also semi-important because they indicate you may have a problem with tooth decay and gum disease which needs to be checked out as soon as is possible. But out of these can come the biggest threat- an abscess. This should never be undermined and if your face begins to swell, it indicates that your blood stream has already started to be poisoned. This has been known to be life threatening in some cases- if you can’t find a dentist, find a hospital. Generally your dentist will be able to advise you on the scenarios surrounding dental emergencies and how to act accordingly should a problem arise.
However you live your life in the city of Leeds, if you are starting to suffer from any discomfort or pain, any where in your body, it can be you have an emergency on your hands that could get worse if untreated- it’s the same with a dental emergency. It’s important to understand the nature of what the emergency is, and to be able to take control until you are able to get the proper dental treatment you require. There are certain dentists that run a 24 hours emercengy service, but they certainly won’t appreciate a call out at 3am to stick a veneer back on! Some pains may not require an instant fix, but can be treated by yourself until you get seen. Such pains can be caused by a sudden tooth loss, swelling to the mouth, pain when chewing or bleeding and discharge from the gums. A chipped tooth, loss of a filling or veneer can cause pain to the gums and/or tongue. Loses can be shawed up with gauze or gum, sharp pains can be treated with various painkillers and soothants, available from over the counter. Soreness can be soothed not only by painkillers, but also by herbal remedies that can be rubbed into affetcted areas. All these antidotes will help you until you can get to your dentist. But you should know your body and if you consider it’s a severe situation, call an ambulance- an abcess eruption can kill and if there are any signs of swelling to the face, coupled with extreme pain, immediate treatment is required.
If you are experiencing a dental emergency you should get in touch with your City of Leeds dentist immediately. They are trained, dental experts and will be able to resolve whatever issue you have. It is much better to get a problem dealt with immediately so that it can be sorted out before things get any worse.
Most people do not know how to handle dental emergencies, and they do the wrong things which results in unnecessarily expensive treatment, or even the permanent damage or loss of the tooth. A dentist in Leeds gives tips on how to handle these emergencies so that the patient suffers as less discomfort as possible, while keeping a great chance of not losing the tooth.
Dental emergencies can be extremely traumatic, especially as they are usually accompanied by a great deal of pain. We are all intrinsically aware of how important our teeth are, both to our appearance and the way we are able to lead our lives, so it can be very stressful when something bad happens to our teeth.
There are many common dental emergencies caused by dental disease or dental trauma that can be of serious cause for concern. In times of dental trauma it is important to know what action you can take to increase your chances of successful treatment and reduce the pain you may be suffering. It is also important that you know how to get hold of a dentist even in unusual hours or circumstances.