Calling All Patients: 3 Ways to Avoid Panic and Respond to a Dental Emergency

Are you prepared in case of a dental emergency? No one likes to think about the worst-case scenario happening in their family, but sometimes accidents happen. Just like you have a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher in your home to make sure you respond appropriately to fire, you should also consider taking just 3 minutes to understand the steps to take in a dental emergency.When you’re in an emergency situation, it’s human nature to feel panicked. That’s why we want our patients to review the “in case of emergency” instructions now, before it happens.

Preparing Before a Dental Emergency

Before a dental emergency, ask your dentist about their on-call policy for emergency needs and the best way to contact them at that time. At Midlothian Dental Center, for example, we ask patients to call us directly at 804-794-4588. Same-day appointments will be made available to both existing and new patients.Consider adding this number where you keep other emergency contact information in your home.

What to Do In Case of Dental Emergency

Step 1: Take care of any broken or missing teethIf you lost your tooth, do not touch the root. Leave the tooth in the socket if possible. If this isn’t possible, or if your tooth is broken, put your tooth in a glass of milk or water and bring it to your appointment.Step 2: Apply iceUse ice to relieve discomfort.Step 3: Remain calm and make a dental appointment. If you feel panicked, remember that most broken or lost teeth CAN be saved. The sooner you come in, the better, so call to make your same-day appointment as soon as possible.We share more about what to expect in an Emergency Dentistry appointment on our website. Ultimately, we will make sure you are well-informed through the process, understand your options, and will restore your smile quickly.When we find ourselves in a stressful situation, we don’t “rise to the level of our expectations - we fall to the level of our training.”We hope you will consider this your “training” in case of emergency. So if the time ever comes (and we hope it doesn’t), you can call upon these instructions and take the right steps to take care of the situation.