What to do in case of a dental emergency!
Hey Everyone,
We recently had a dental emergency of a young girl hitting her mouth on another child while jumping on a trampoline. One question we get is how to handle dental emergencies.
While getting into the office is certainly a must, here are some steps you can follow: If the tooth has been knocked out it may be re-implanted into the site if it happens quickly. (This is the case for adult teeth).
If a child looses a baby tooth, we do not recommend to try and put it back in. If it is a lost adult tooth, place in milk and bring it with you (do not try and clean it off with water or soap.) One other good recommendation is to make sure you and your children are up to date on your vaccines, especially the tetanus.
Always make sure your children are wearing mouthgaurds when playing sports, it will help protect their teeth more than you realize. Be safe, and make sure you have a plan of action and an office you can count on if an emergency should come up. (Especially on the weekend, when many offices are closed-- that's when emergencies happen :)
Best Regards,
Dr. Matt Kraner
Ray Antonacci
8:26 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dr. Kraner, Will most Dentist come in to the office on a weekend or after hours for an emergency? Here at Our Urgent Care we see an occasional dental emergency but we do not have a Dentist on staff. We typically refer patients back to their family dentist. What are your thoughts?
Dr. Matthew Kraner
11:02 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Hi Ray,
Every office is different, but what we see frequently is many patients don't even have a regular dentist if they needed one. (Studies show only about 50% of the population sees a dentist on a regular basis.) We have our calls forwarded the entire weekend, so we never miss an important call. It is possible that myself or Dr. Greg Kraner would come in depending on the situation, but if nothing else we could offer advise, and make arrangements as needed to initiate treatment ASAP. Feel free to call our office anytime, 636-887-3005. If you are calling on the weekend, you will get Sarah, our treatment coordinator. Hope that helps!
Take Care,
Dr. Kraner
Ray Antonacci
12:33 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Thanks for the info Dr. Kraner. That helps and I hope it helps others to know there is a dentist in the area that will take emergency calls in off hours.