Dental Emergencies
Call Now – 604 737 1023 , if you are an EXISTING patient of WestcoastSmile Dental and have a dental emergency
Press 3 after the introduction, you will be transferred to Dr. Jeffrey Norden. Please leave a message with your name, time you called, a telephone number where you can be reached and the nature of the dental emergency.
Please note: if you are NOT a patient of the practice, we will do our best to accommodate you, however, we can’t guarantee appointment availability.
You may encounter problems with your teeth and mouth. The information below will help you determine the action you should take. Some dental problems are emergencies, requiring immediate attention, others are less urgent. All of these situations require that you see your dentist soon, if not immediately.
Tooth Knocked Out
- This is a dental emergency. See a dentist as soon as possible
- Try to put the tooth back in place or hold it between the lip and the teeth. Contact a dentist.
- If you cannot hold the tooth in place, keep the tooth in a container of milk. If milk isn’t available, use water. Do not handle the tooth unnecessarily.
Acute Jaw Injury
If you cannot move your jaw, or it hurts when you close your mouth normally, your jaw may be broken, fractured or dislocated.
Go to the closest hospital emergency room and contact your dentist.
Toothache
There are many possible reasons for a toothache – do not ignore tooth pain. It will often worsen and become more difficult to treat.
- See your local Vancouver dentist as soon as possible.
- Tylenol or aspirin may alleviate pain.
- Do not use ice.
- Do not place aspirin on the tooth.
Broken Tooth
Broken or fractured teeth range from mild to severe.
Minor Fracture:
- Make a dental appointment, as your dentist can smooth the damage, but this is not a dental emergency.
Moderate Fracture
Includes damage to enamel, dentin and pulp
- See your Vancouver dentist as soon as possible.
- Place a piece of soft wax on the damaged tooth.
Severe Fracture
This is a dental emergency.
- See your Vancouver dentist immediately
- If you can apply soft wax, do so.
Mouth Sores
This is not a dental emergency.
- Apply an over the counter treatment such as Oragel or ask your pharmacist for an appropriate product.
- If sores persist, see your Vancouver dentist.
Broken Braces or Wires
- If you can easily remove the appliance, remove it.
- If you cannot remove the appliance easily, cover any sharp or protruding pieces with cotton or wax, don’t try to remove it.
- See your dentist soon, but this is not a dental emergency.
Broken Denture, Bridge or Plate
This is not an emergency.
- Bring all pieces with you when you see the dentists as soon as you can.
- Do not attempt to glue the appliance together yourself.
