How to Save your Teeth in a Dental Emergency

Would you be helpful in a dental emergency or would you give outdated or just plain wrong advice? If one of your children knocked out a tooth, would you be able to apply first aid?

A Bentleigh boy has quick-thinking adults to thank for knowing what to do when four of his top teeth were smashed out during a football game. They put the teeth into a cup of milk and rang for the dentist. Dr Harry Marget, of East Bentleigh Dental Group, drove up immediately from the Mornington Peninsula, where he was spending the weekend, and wired the boy’s teeth back into his jaw.

A few months later when the boy attended his dental review, all four had survived.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, the boy suffered another dental emergency just two years later. He knocked out two of his teeth while skating. His father grabbed the damaged teeth and put them back in his son’s mouth – held in place with aluminium foil.

This improvisation was good enough to keep the teeth viable while the boy was transported to his Bentleigh dentist. Dr Harry Marget rewired the teeth into his patient’s jaw, saving the boy’s teeth for a miracle second time!

Dentist in dental emergency.

Tips for Emergency Dental Situations

A dental emergency can be alarming but if you stay calm and seek emergency dental treatment for the injured person, they will have the best chance of keeping their natural teeth.

Take the injured person to the dentist immediately. East Bentleigh Dental Group always has a dentist available for emergency dental services. This gives our patients peace of mind as they know they will always have help during a crisis.

Immediate access to the patient provides the dentist with the best chance of saving the tooth or teeth. They will also be able to provide pain relief to the patient while they wire the teeth back into the jaw.

To cope with the most common emergency dental situations, here are some valuable tips:

• Keep the injured person warm and as comfortable as possible
• Gently reposition the damaged tooth to its natural alignment using your finger. Do not force it into place and avoid continually playing with it
• Lightly clench the teeth to hold the tooth in position while seeking dental treatment
• Avoid clenching down hard and chewing
• Do not eat hot food or drink hot drinks
• If a tooth has been completely knocked out, place it in milk. DO NOT place it in tap water.
• Avoid scrubbing the root of the damaged tooth
• Do not clean the tooth with any substances such as Dettol

Get Sedated during an Emergency to Reduce Dental Pain

Once you have arrived at the East Bentleigh Dental Group surgery we can manage your pain and put you at ease. Our practice offers the latest technologies in sleep dentistry and sedation dentistry to reduce your anxiety and discomfort while we work efficiently to repair the damage to your teeth.

Emergency? See your Bentleigh Dentist

If you or your child has suffered damage to teeth, contact East Bentleigh Dental Group for fast and effective emergency dental care. Phone (03) 9575 1100 or contact us online.