From Reattaching Cosmetic Dentistry to Treating Broken Teeth, Coming Prepared is Your Best Bet
You can do your best to avoid sudden harm or injury to your teeth, but the truth is, sometimes accidents just happen. It’s important in these cases to know that you can call an emergency dentist for help, and that there are steps you can and should take to avoid making a bad situation worse. Here’s what you should do if you find yourself having a dental emergency:
Make Priorities
This should go without saying, but we’re going to say it anyway: if you have broken and chipped a tooth as a result of trauma to the head or face that may have caused other injuries, you need to set priorities for seeking medical attention. As much as your teeth should be attended to sooner rather than later, if you have possibly suffered a traumatic brain injury like a concussion, or if you know or suspect that you have fractured a bone, please, go to a hospital emergency room first.
Make the Call
If there is nothing else to tend to first, pick up your telephone, and contact an emergency dentist. Don’t try to self-diagnose while on the phone. Just simply describe the incident that happened, and describe in as much detail the resulting injury. Let them know if you have recently undergone cosmetic dentistry or are undergoing orthodontic treatment. In particular, certain cosmetic dentistry procedures could leave your teeth more vulnerable if they were recent enough.
Protect Your Teeth
While you wait for emergency treatment, be sure not to attempt to tamper with your teeth in any way. Avoid eating solid food or further endangering the teeth. If you have lost a tooth—particularly a whole, otherwise-undamaged tooth—or a cosmetic dentistry piece such as a veneer or crown, protect it as best you can, as it may be able to be reattached under the correct circumstances.
It’s Dangerous to Go Alone
It’s absolutely paramount that you have a reliable way to get to and from the dentist’s office that doesn’t involved you getting behind the wheel yourself—especially on your way home. The reason for this is that you may be given anaesthetics, making it unsafe to drive. Public transportation isn’t a great idea either, though a taxi or an Uber probably isn’t the worst idea. Your absolute safest bet is to have a friend or family member that you trust to get you safely to and from your emergency visit.
Your emergency dentist will do their best to help you when you’re in need—following these steps will help them help you!
A member of the Ordre des dentistes du Québec and owner of the dental clinic Clinique de l’Avenir, Dr. Gallant obtained her doctorate in dentistry at the Université de Montréal in 2010. Since the beginning of her multidisciplinary practice, she has expressed an interest marked for surgery and cosmetic dentistry. Always in the interest of perfecting her art, she took part in several continuing education courses in order to provide the most sophisticated dental care to her patients. Her personalized, gentle approach inspire confidence in those who typically fear dental work. For her, a radiant smile of health is a pledge of confidence and success.