Emergency Dentistry

Have A Dental Emergency?

We offer Emergency Dentistry to the Tweed Heads Area and beyond and are now open with extended hours; 8:00am to 8:00pm on Tuesday and most Saturdays 8:30am to 1:00pm to help you access emergency dental care.

 At Banora Seaview Dental we offer emergency dentistry and are well skilled to help you when you need it most. That is why we leave spaces in our appointment book each day to look after any dental emergency. New patients and existing patients are welcome to use this service.

If you cannot attend our practice straight away please look at the advice below for common dental emergencies, however the best way to relieve pain and potential serious problems is to make an appointment where our caring staff will help you.

Advice for dental emergencies

• Painful or aching, throbbing teeth or gums.  If you have pain please seek treatment as soon a possible, this can make the treatment simpler and reduce time and severity of discomfort and reduce risk of permanent damage. rinsing your mouth with salty luke-warm water can help, brush and floss the area to remove any food debris. If there is swelling, place a cold-pack on the area. DO NOT put aspirin beside the sore tooth, this can cause burns of the area. Consider taking Panadol or Neurofen if that is safe for you. Oil of cloves can be useful and has been used for a long time when dental treatment cannot be accessed.
• Swelling; apply cold packs to the area, the swelling needs to be assessed as soon as possible. In rare cases dental infection or swelling can be fatal.
• Fractures of teeth; gently rinse your mouth with salty water, keep and broken pieces of tooth/ filling. If there is bleeding apply pressure with gauze or cotton wool for about 20 minutes. Make an appointment as soon as possible. As a temporary measure you can use sugar free chewing gum as a temporary filling. Sometimes a tooth can break, or a piece of filling can come out and it is not painful, the sharp edges can cut your tongue and cheek, and the tooth still should be treated as a matter of urgency even though there is no pain.
• Tooth Knocked out; keep the tooth, gently pick it up without touching the root of the tooth. Gently rinse off any debris but do not touch or clean the root of the tooth. If you can, gently re-position the tooth in the socket, ensuring it is facing the right way. If you cannot re-position the tooth keep the tooth in saliva or in milk and see a dentist as soon as possible. These teeth can often be re-positioned by a dentist, even if they have been out of the mouth for hours.
• Abscess; These are infections that occur at the tips of the roots of teeth or in the space ( or ‘pocket’) between the tooth and the gum. These are serious conditions that can damage the surrounding area, and if left untreated can spread to other areas of the body. Sometimes a small ‘pimple’ like spot can be seen on the gum, these can be painful and you should make an appointment to get this checked. Salty mouthwashes can be helpful to draw the infection out, only squeeze this spot if it feels like it is really ready to drain, this is best assessed by your dentist.
• Fractures on bone/ jaws –  this requires immediate attention. the fracture needs to be assessed and antibiotics given. Call your local Hospital
• Loose or broken orthodontic wire/brackets. Gently try and re-position the wire to where it does not cause as much discomfort, eg away from cheeks and tongue. Wax can placed over anything sharp as a temporary measure until you can see a dentist.
• Soft tissue Injury; Injuries to the lips, cheek or tongue can result in bleeding which should be controlled with gentle, constant pressure with gauze for about 20 to 30 minutes. If there is still bleeding, reapply pressure again for slightly longer. Again, salty mouthwash can help or a mouthwash called Savacol ( active ingredient ‘cholrhexidine’ ). The injury needs to be assessed as sometimes there can be forgein bodies in the wound, dirt, bits of broken teeth etc.

Click this link for an excellent printable guide to dental emergencies from Queensland Health, great for schools, day care or at home.