Emergency Dentistry

The most common dental emergencies among children take the form of a chipped or knocked-out tooth. If the tooth that is knocked out is a baby tooth, you should not attempt to put it back in its socket as you could damage the developing tooth beneath the gum. Make an appointment with your child’s dentist and take the tooth with you to that appointment. The dentist will assess the socket and check for any other dental injuries.

This flyer has more information on what to do in children’s dental emergencies.

Whether you wear Invisalign clear aligners or have braces, any damage should be quickly attended to. If your aligner breaks or a brace bracket becomes detached, make an immediate appointment to see your orthodontist so they can repair or replace the appliance.

If your denture is damaged you should promptly have it repaired or replaced. Dentures can be constructed quite quickly; so the sooner you make an appointment, the sooner you can have a new denture.

In instances when a tooth cannot be saved, such as when it has been too severely damaged by trauma or decay, your emergency dental treatment may involve the tooth being removed and replaced with an implant. For dental implants we recommend you visit one of our registered prosthodontists.

A knocked-out adult (or permanent) tooth should ideally be reinserted as soon as possible to keep it “alive”. If possible, push the tooth back into its socket, holding the tooth by the solid white crown and making sure not to touch the exposed root. Then seek dental treatment straight away. If the tooth can’t be placed back into its socket, coat it in saliva or immerse it in milk (not water) and bring it with you to the dentist.

If you have a chipped or broken tooth, it will need to be treated by a general dentist. This should happen without delay, especially if the nerve of the tooth has been exposed, increasing the risk of infection. If the damage was caused by a fall or a knock to the face, you will also need to be examined for other possible oral injuries.

An infected tooth will sometimes require root canal therapy. This treatment is a way to save your natural tooth in preference to having it extracted and replaced with an implant or bridge. Root canal treatment will be performed by one of our registered endodontists. These highly trained specialists focus on treating the tooth pulp (nerve) and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth and are therefore best qualified to perform such a procedure.

If you have an infected or impacted wisdom tooth, it can be painful and require urgent treatment. One of our general dentists will examine the affected tooth and, depending on the complexity of your case, may refer you to a registered oral & maxillofacial surgeon.