Emergencies
At this practice,
we are members of an emergency callout and treatment scheme. In the
event of any dental emergency, it important that you are able to receive
treatment quickly. In the event of your needing emergency dental
treatment, telephone the surgery before 9:30 am and we will be able to
see you the same day. If you contact us later in the day, emergency
slots will pprobably have all been allocated and you may have to wait
until the following day.
To minimise disruption
to routine practice, we operate an emergency rota and the dentist you
see in an emergency may not be the dentist you normally see for
treatment.
In cases of emergency
between 5:00 pm and 8:00 am on weekdays, on weekends or on public
holidays please contact out emergency rota by telephoning 01482 626661
and ask for the on-call dentist.
You will be asked
some simple questions about your problem and the agency will 'bleep' the
on-call dentist, who after being made aware of your problem, will ring
you back to decide whether a surgery visit will be necessary. In
general, a surgery visit out of hours is only necessary in cases of
severe pain, swelling or prolonged bleeding following an extraction. If
you are a member of Denplan or BUPA Dentalcover, please telephone the
emergency telephone number on the card in your membership pack in order
that you can be seen promptly.
FIRST AID ADVICE
Trauma & Injuries... A tooth may become loosened or 'knocked out' as a
result of an assault, accident or a sporting injury. The best advice in
the event of such an occurrence is...
Loosened...
Leave the tooth in situ (DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE SOCKET) and cotact
the dental practice immediately, or if outside surgery hours, the
patient should attend the nearest Accident & Emergency Unit at their
local Hospital, where the injury can be dealt with. The patient should
bite on a clean handkerchief to keep the loosened tooth firmly in place.
Dislodged...
Find the tooth! -
Hold it by the crown (the part usually visible in the mouth) NOT by the
root (the pointed end). DO NOT scrub the tooth or place it in
disinfectant. If the tooth is dirty - rinse it in milk or cold water
before gently pushing it back into place.
An attempt should be made to gently reinsert the tooth into the socket
so as to retain a good blood supply to the blood vessels in the tooth.
This procedure is usually painless if done immediately after the tooth
has beeb knocked out. If this is done, there is every chance the tooth
may be saved and obviate the need for later prosthetic work being
undertaken. If it is not possible to replace the tooth in the socket, a
good idea is to simply place the dislodged tooth inside the patient's
mouth, between the gum and the cheek, where it will be kept clean by the
mouth saliva.
If it is necessary to transport the tooth to the surgery or hospital
without the patient present (such as when the tooth has been found
shortly after the patient has already departed for treatment) the best
course of action is to place it in a cup of milk and take it to the same
destination as the patient, where dental staff can attempt to reunite
the two.
DO NOT...
allow the tooth to become dry, or
place the tooth in any kind of disinfectant
In any case - immediate dental assistance should be sought at the
surgery, or if outside surgery hours, the patient should attend the
nearest Accident & Emergency Unit at their local Hospital, where the
injury can be dealt with by the dentist on duty.