To see a same-day emergency dentist in London, patients need to present one of two types of situation that require unscheduled dental care; emergency or urgent. These two classifications are set out by the NHS to ensure that patients are seen according to their needs and if the situation can wait until the next available appointment then it is neither an emergency nor urgent and a dental practice will schedule an appointment where possible. However in the case where a patient’s health may further be put at risk due to a dental emergency, then an unscheduled appointment may be granted to them.
Types of emergencies
Any dental situation that has caused swelling in the throat or eye needs to be seen to without hesitation as ignoring such a problem may lead to loss of vision or suffocation, however, these are not the only instances that requires urgent care, excessive bleeding that won’t stop, particularly after a tooth extraction will need emergency care as well as the following possible circumstances:
Tooth Abscess – This is when a pocket of pus fills up due to an infection in the tooth pulp, if left untreated it can spread to the ear or throat which can be very dangerous. The main symptom of an abscessed tooth is a severe amount of pain that is not likely to abate with over the counter pain medication. Sometimes an untreated abscess will rupture and this needs to be seen to immediately in order to stop bleeding and get rid of the infection. Treatment of antibiotics may be prescribed for an abscess as well as pain medication until it has cleared up.
Knocked-out tooth – No matter how the accident happened, a knocked-out tooth may well be saved if it is treated immediately, patients who have suffered this injury need to collect the tooth and keep it moist (preferably back in the mouth) and try to stem any bleeding that may have occurred, a dentist may be able to secure the tooth root and all back into place before it is too late to do so.
Broken teeth or crowns – A crown that has come off or broken may open the pulp of the tooth up to infection and this can be avoided by making an urgent appointment with the dentist in order to replace it. In the case of a broken or cracked tooth, infection is also a risk and the pain may be too severe to manage, in which case patients need to be seen as soon as possible.
Chipped tooth – A chipped tooth is not always cause for immediate concern unless it puts the rest of the mouth at risk, like causing cheeks and lips to be cut open if it is not immediately treated.
Soft tissue damage and bleeding – Any damage to the cheeks or gums that incurs quite a bit of bleeding, especially if that bleeding is unable to stop, an emergency appointment must be made with a dentist in order to stop the bleeding and apply stitching if necessary.
