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There are a number of reasons why you might need the help or advice from us between visits. Some are more serious than others. We have listed some of the more common problems people encounter along with some recommendations about what to do. Mild Toothache or Sensitivity Temperature: Keep extremes of temperature away from your tooth. Try taking a painkiler, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Contact the practice to make an appointment in the next week - as you may, for example, need a new fil ing. Severe toothache: Severe toothache keeps you awake at night and is very distressing, there may also be some swelling – painkil ers wil help. If you can take it, Ibuprofen is best, but may not take away the pain entirely. Please cross check against any other medications you may be taking and with any advice you may have been given by your doctor before taking pain relief. Contact the practice during working hours and we wil see you as soon as possible. Out of hours, an emergency dentist is available for advice, see end of this section for Your dentist wil advise you to take painkil ers after having a tooth out because the gum and bone around the extracted tooth wil be sore when the local anesthetic wears off. Swil ing out with a warm salty mouthwash the day after having your tooth out wil help keep the area clean. Brush your other teeth as normal. Occasionally the socket may not heal correctly and you may get a “dry socket”. This is an infection of the socket and you usual y get severe toothache 2 to 3 days after having your tooth out. You need to contact the practice and to have the socket dressed. Please ring during surgery hours and we wil see you as soon as possible. Sometimes the gum and bone around an extracted tooth may continue to ooze a little blood for some time after taking a tooth out. This often looks worse than it is as it mixes with your saliva. Try to leave the area alone and do not rinse out too much. Sit quietly and sleep with an extra pil ow. On the night of the extraction do not drink alcohol as this raises your blood pressure. If your mouth is very obviously bleeding from the site where the tooth was removed, you need to apply pressure to the area with the sterile gauze pack we gave you, or a clean, rol ed up cotton handkerchief. Do this for at least 20 minutes. Once the bleeding stops, fol ow the suggestions above. If the bleeding does not stop contact the practice during surgery hours and we will see you as soon as possible. If this happens out of surgery hours use the emergency number for advice. If a front crown becomes de-cemented this can be very embarrassing. Please contact the surgery during working hours and we wil see you as soon as possible to re-cement it for you. Out of hours, denture fixative or sugar-free chewing gum, can be used as a quick fix - never be tempted to glue your our crown back on as you can do a lot of damage to the crown and your tooth . If a back crown comes off contact the surgery during working hours and we wil re-fix it in the next few days, at your convenience. This is a very common problem that can be control ed by thorough brushing and flossing of your teeth on a daily basis. Our hygienist will be able to advise you. Occasional y the gums around wisdom teeth get infected and are very sore. Corsodyl mouthwash if you have any, or a hot, salty mouthwash wil help. Gums can hurt due to an abscess, so if any problem persists contact the practice to arrange for a dentist to examine you. Please contact the surgery and an appointment wil be offered to you over the next week. If it is causing you a lot of pain we wil see you as soon as possible. Broken teeth in children, especial y new adult teeth, should be attended to promptly. Please cal the surgery straight away if your child has an accident and breaks or chips a front tooth Teeth Knocked Out or Moved Out Of Line After Trauma If a tooth is knocked out completely do not panic. If possible find the tooth and if it is clean push it back into the socket, and attend the practice promptly. Try not to touch the root of the tooth if possible. If it is not clean or you cannot replace it, store the tooth in milk or just inside the mouth of the child who has lost the tooth, (Cheek side their back teeth). This wil help to keep it clean and stop it drying out. Go straight to the practice during surgery hours, ring ahead if possible. The more quickly the tooth is replaced the more chance it has of surviving. Teeth pushed out of line also need prompt attention. If the accident happens outside of surgery hours use the emergency number. If you have a dental emergency please try to phone during surgery hours as early as possible, and we will make every effort to try and see you as soon as we can. For urgent advice or treatment outside surgery hours Practice members should phone the surgery on 01361 882262 where a recorded message will advise you how to proceed.

Source: http://www.dunsdental.co.uk/guides/dental_problems_guide.pdf