The first thing any dental patient needs to know is what exactly constitutes a dental emergency. You don’t want to head out to your emergency dentist in the middle of the night if it is something that could wait until morning.

At Polwarth Dental Clinic emergency dentist in Edinburgh, we agree that there are several dental injuries and issues that require immediate and expert attention. These can occur at any time of the day or night and require a dentist as soon as possible.

I’ve lost a filling

A lost filling may not be a dental emergency and many people can wait for a day or so until having it replaced. The real problem can come if food or other debris becomes trapped in the hole. This means you should get the filing replaced sooner rather than later.

Your dentist at the clinic will arrange to see you quickly and fit a temporary filling to cover the cavity. You can then arrange another appointment for a permanent filling.

Toothache

Many of us suffer from toothache now and then. It can turn out to be a small problem that can get resolved during one of our regular dental check-ups. There are also times when toothache can appear suddenly and can be very painful. This is when a call to an emergency dentist in Edinburgh can be the only choice.

This is sometimes the case when we do not visit our dentist regularly enough, allowing the cavities to rot right through to the pulp of your tooth. In serious situations, an abscess can develop if decay is left untreated. An abscess will certainly cause extreme pain and require immediate treatment by your emergency dentist in Edinburgh.

Accidents

When a tooth is knocked out in an accident, there is a chance of saving the tooth if you act quickly, with a trip to your emergency dentist in Edinburgh. Ideally you should try and do this within an hour of the accident. If you want to keep your tooth, you will need to pick it up and take it with you to your dentist. At Polwarth Dental Clinic, our dentists recommend keeping the tooth in a glass of milk.