Knowing when to get in touch with our team in an emergency can be quite tricky, as often you may think the problem you’re facing could be easily addressed by your regular dentist at a regularly scheduled appointment later on. So to make things a little easier for our patients who might be worried about a particular dental issue, here are a few examples from our emergency dentist in Edinburgh about when you should immediately get in contact with us.
Signs of infection or inflammation
One item on our list of situations when you need to get in touch with our emergency dentist in Edinburgh is if your gums seem swollen and inflamed, or if there are signs of an infection setting in. Gum disease can cause a lot of oral health issues that include the loss of teeth and even bone in some cases, so the quicker any potential infection is spotted and treated, the better your chances of saving your smile will be.
Severe damage to the teeth
A fairly common reason for getting in touch with our emergency team is if there’s any severe or excessive damage caused to the teeth. This is commonly caused through accident or injuries and in most cases the tooth can be restored.
But in some cases the damage may be to such an extent, that the tooth is no longer protected from outside bacteria and because of this our emergency team would need to fit a temporary repair on top of your tooth. This should then keep it safe and sterile until your regular dentist can then see to it and provide a proper fix for the damage. At Polwarth Dental Clinic our team of highly trained dentists will be able to repair any damage sustained and restore your teeth to give you that strong and healthy looking smile you deserve.
The loss of a tooth
Losing a tooth is fairly common and most people at some point in their life may encounter a situation where one of their pearly whites is knocked out for a short time. If this happens then try to find the tooth and call our emergency number as, depending on the state of the tooth and the site it was knocked out from, we may be able to simply reinsert it. But do it fast, as the longer you leave it out the more the tooth will degrade and eventually we may not be able to put it back.
Intense or constant toothache
A sharp or prolonged pain in your teeth that lasts more than 24 hours could be a sign of gum disease or a problem with the root that needs to be taken care of immediately.
Bleeding gums
Bleeding in your gums can commonly be a sign of gum disease and in most situations it can clear up with a change to your dental cleaning routine. However, if the bleeding persists or is of a substantial volume then there may be a more serious issue present that we will need to immediately diagnose.
In closing, these are only a few cases of when you should get in touch with our emergency team. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms that we have mentioned above, then you should get in touch with our practice as soon as you possibly can.