When you wake up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain under one of your teeth, this is indicative of a dental emergency. If you have recently lost a filling or crown or you suspect that one of these restoratives is loose, this too is a sign that you need to see a dental team immediately. Similarly, if you have cracked or chipped a tooth, you have excessive bleeding in your mouth or there is a large ulcer, you need a same-day emergency appointment with your dental team. But many patients are wary of attending emergency dental appointments as they simply do not know what to expect. In this guide, a dentist Wagga will talk through what you can expect at an emergency dental appointment and hopefully reassure you that there is nothing to be worried about. 

First, when you arrive at your emergency dental appointment, the dental team will need to assess the issue. If you were finding it too hard to open your mouth wide enough, simply state this to them, and they will be able to relieve the discomfort using a local anaesthetic. There may also be x-rays performed if they suspect that you have a dental abscess or that there is an impacted tooth causing the discomfort. 

The next stage is diagnostics, and some patients may be able to help in this area. As mentioned earlier, if you have lost a crown or filling, then it is likely that you will have noticed this fall into your mouth, so you can provide this information to your dental team. You can also help by describing the discomfort that you are experiencing; for some people suffering from an abscess, it may feel like a pulsating or burning sensation underneath one of their teeth. If you have noticed sudden sensitivity to one of your teeth, this can indicate a cavity, a potential crack or chip or other external damage that has exposed the pulp of the tooth to the air. 

From this comes the treatment. If you have a lost restorative, your emergency dental team will seek to replace it. If you have a crack or chip, then a composite filling will usually be required. If you have a dental abscess, this is a bit trickier as the infection will need to be resolved before any secondary procedure can be performed unless the tooth is so badly decayed that the only option is an extraction. 

Following on from the example of a dental abscess, your dental team will probably need to prescribe antibiotics to get the infection under control. They may also prescribe pain relievers and will have to book you for an appointment within the next few days with a standard dental practitioner. This is done so that the next stage can be performed and will prevent the abscess from coming back. 

You must attend any follow-up appointments after you have attended an emergency one. In the case of a dental abscess, you will need to have a root canal performed, which will prevent the abscess from coming back. This will save the tooth under which it occurred. So, if your emergency team books you in for a follow-up appointment, this is aftercare that is well worth the additional time.