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Manchester Unity Building, 220 Collins St, Melbourne

Dental Emergencies Explained


There are typically three types of scenarios that may present as a dental emergency. The first is dental trauma; the second, infection or toothache and the third, a broken filling or loose crown.

dental emergency

Dental Trauma

A dental trauma is a scenario whereby a person may receive a knock to the mouth or face. This may be the result of a fall, sporting injury, bike accident or even an assault. Trauma to the oral region could cause broken or displaced teeth. In severe cases it may also result in fractures of the facial bones. The most important thing for a person to do when they have received trauma to the facial region is to determine if the injury involves only the teeth or if the soft tissues/bones are involved. If facial fracture or even concussion is suspected then a trip to the hospital emergency department should be the first place of call. These types of severe injuries should be seen to first, before the teeth themselves are assessed. Once it has been determined that there are no major facial injuries, or once they have been treated, then an assessment of dental trauma by a dentist is required.

Dental Infection or Toothache

Another type of dental emergency is that of a dental infection or toothache. Some common types of dental infections are tooth abscess, gum infection or wisdom tooth infection. These usually present with inflammation, redness, bleeding, pus and tenderness to touch. Severe infections may cause an ache, which could result in disturbance of sleep or appetite. Also pain on biting may an issue. Severe cases of infection may cause severe facial swellings which may result in hospitalisation due to facial cellulitis. For cases of infection or suspected infection immediate assessment by a dentist is required and usually treatment will be performed on that day to reduce the infection and therefore any pain.

Broken Filling or Lose Crown

The final common dental emergency that we see here at Smile Solutions, is when somebody has lost or chipped a filling or if a crown has loosened. This may happen when the integrity of a filling is lost due to wear over time, or even if a hard piece of food has fractured a filling. Usually we need to see a client as soon as possible if this situation has resulted in pain or discomfort. Sometimes we will provide a temporary filling to allow us to rebook the client to have a permanent filling placed. Generally, a dentist needs to assess the severity of the problem as sometimes teeth can have a complicated fracture that requires immediate restoration but doesn’t cause a client any pain.

For each of these scenarios it is best to contact Smile Solutions as soon as possible. There is a dental emergency contact number on our website or business cards for out of hours.

Smile Solutions is now open seven days a week so we are able to accommodate any emergency dental appointments. Our reception team will ask a series of questions during a dental emergency phone call to determine how soon we would need to assess your dental emergency and to provide you with advice for the interim.

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