Having a dental emergency? Most dental emergencies are nowhere near the severity of other medical emergencies.

In most cases, it’s the potential of extreme pain that is the issue, not health. You should still call your dentist right away.

In this article, we’ll address the issue of what to do if your retainer or night guard got damaged. While this is inconvenient, you’ll still want to take care of this as soon as you can. In the meantime, here are some tips from Dr. Yap:

Why Did the Retainer Break?

• If the retainer is relatively new, then look for wear marks as it could indicate that you grind your teeth at night.
• You will need to see a dentist to get a new retainer to prevent your teeth from shifting.

What to Do

• Use your secondary retainer, if you don’t have one, use your last Invisalign tray.
• If you have no other retainers or aligners handy, then you can keep wearing the broken or damaged retainer until you see a dentist.
• Call to see if a dentist is available to help you at least assess your situation over the phone or video. When you have a new one made, consider purchasing a spare set.

While this is not considered an emergency and you have no pain, it’s worthwhile mentioning what you should know about dental emergencies. With most dental emergencies, severe pain may be a factor. If you can’t manage the pain without painkillers you might consider Panadol and/or ibuprofen – but only if you have no previous allergies or medications that can interact with these painkillers. You can check with your doctor and pharmacy but these two painkillers are the most commonly used to curb dental pain. Codeine or tramadol can be added in extreme cases but you will need a prescription for this.

We are living in a unique time where we are all isolated from one another. The last thing we want our patients to do is live with pain or infection during this time. This is why we are one of the few dental clinics that has remained open to service dental emergencies. We know what to do and how to handle a dental emergency. If you have a dental emergency, and you’re near Innaloo , please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to give you guidance and support.

Having a dental emergency? Most dental emergencies are nowhere near the severity of other medical emergencies.

In most cases, it’s the potential of extreme pain that is the issue, not health. You should still call your dentist right away.

In this article, we’ll address the issue of what to do if you find your face is swollen around your jaw area.

Causes of a Swollen Face

It could be:

• A serious dental infection that needs immediate response by a dentist such as Dr. Yap. Typically, these types of conditions don’t get better on their own.
• It could be an infected tooth, bone infection, or gum infection or something more serious.

What to do

Hoping that “it will get better” or trying to ignore the issue is not a wise thing to do. Here are some tips:

• Don’t wait. Call Dr. Yap straight away. If you delay it then you can end up with more severe complications and it is possible to die from an infection in or around the mouth.
• You will likely need antibiotics urgently; we offer free video and phone consultations and we can have the prescription sent directly to your pharmacy.
• Try not to lie flat, even during sleep.
• Drink fluids to avoid dehydration and therefore bigger complications

With most dental emergencies, severe pain may be a factor. If you can’t manage the pain without painkillers you might consider Panadol and/or ibuprofen – but only if you have no previous allergies or medications that can interact with these painkillers. You can check with your doctor and pharmacy but these two painkillers are the most commonly used to curb dental pain. Codeine or tramadol can be added in extreme cases but you will need a prescription for this.

We are living in a unique time where we are all isolated from one another. The last thing we want our patients to do is live with pain or infection during this time. This is why we are one of the few dental clinics that has remained open to service dental emergencies. We know what to do and how to handle a dental emergency. If you have a dental emergency, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Yap‘s office, we are here to give you guidance and support.

Having a dental emergency? Most dental emergencies are nowhere near the severity of other medical emergencies.

In most cases, it’s the potential of extreme pain that is the issue, not health. You should still call your dentist right away.

In this article, we’ll address the issue of what to do if you have an abscess around your teeth or gums.

Why is an Abscess a Problem?

• A gum abscess looks like a yellow, red, clear, or whitish pimple on the gum.
• It could mean the tooth is infected or the gum is infected, meaning you need a root canal or an extraction. In some cases, antibiotics and an x-ray will be needed.
• If the cause is gum disease then this could lead to permanent gum recession, but the sooner you get to it, the less likely that will happen.

What to Do

An abscess can lead to facial swelling and potentially severe complications. It likely will not get better by itself. Here are some tips:

• You need to be seen immediately. Talk to your dentist over the phone, you may require antibiotics first.
• Do not pop the gum abscess like a pimple.
• Make an appointment with Dr. Yap for the next day.
• Keep brushing and flossing that area as usual.
• Don’t put this off too long. A dentist will tell you that abscesses can lead to facial swelling and potentially severe systemic complications, always at the worst possible time.

With most dental emergencies, severe pain may be a factor. If you can’t manage the pain without painkillers you might consider Panadol and/or ibuprofen – but only if you have no previous allergies or medications that can interact with these painkillers. You can check with your GP and pharmacy but these two painkillers are the most commonly used to curb dental pain. Codeine or tramadol can be added in extreme cases but you will need a prescription for this.

We are living in a unique time where we are all isolated from one another. The last thing we want our patients to do is live with pain or infection during this time. This is why we are one of the few dental clinics that has remained open to service dental emergencies. We know what to do and how to handle a dental emergency. If you have a dental emergency, please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to give you guidance and support.

Having a dental emergency? Most dental emergencies are nowhere near the severity of other medical emergencies.

In most cases, it’s the potential of extreme pain that is the issue, not health. You should still call your dentist right away.

In this article, we’ll address the issue of what to do if you are in pain because a crown or bridge came loose and fell off. You’re going to want to call in to our office ASAP; in the meantime, here’s what you can do:

Why Did the Crown or Bridge Come Loose?

• The crown or bridge has fallen out because the cement used to glue it in just gave up on you. This is not considered an emergency but you need to do your best to temporarily glue it back in. If you leave it out of your mouth tooth long, it is likely not going to fit back in.
• The other scenario is that the tooth has broken, this is not an easy fix.
• Rule of thumb, if you can put it back in then its likely the glue, if you can’t then your tooth could be broken.

What to Do

• Don’t panic! If you’re not in pain, that buys you some time. If the crown or bridge has just come off and you can put it back on. You can go to the pharmacy and buy a temporary dental cement from your local pharmacy. If that fails and you cannot find it, some patients give good feedback on Polident denture adhesives as a good short-term solution to temporarily glue the crown in till you see a dentist.
  Call your dentist. The more info you give them over the phone, the better. You could say to them something like, “the crown came off, its not sore and I can put it back on”. Better yet, email or text a photo! This will help you know what treatment is expected.

With most dental emergencies, severe pain may be a factor. If you can’t manage the pain without painkillers you might consider Panadol and/or ibuprofen – but only if you have no previous allergies or medications that can interact with these painkillers. You can check with your GP and pharmacy but these two painkillers are the most commonly used to curb dental pain. Codeine or tramadol can be added in extreme cases but you will need a prescription for this.

We are living in a unique time where we are all isolated from one another. The last thing we want our patients to do is live with pain or infection during this time. This is why we are one of the few dental clinics that has remained open to service dental emergencies. We know what to do and how to handle a dental emergency. If you have a dental emergency, please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to give you guidance and support.