What’s the definition of an emergency? It’s when something happens out of the blue that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, and if it’s not, there may be serious consequences.

How do you know when you have a dental emergency on your hands? And what are you supposed to do? There are basically 2 types of dental emergencies and pain is involved in both of them. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong and you need to get it seen to. Pain usually comes in the form of a bad toothache that won’t go away, or in the sudden pain that comes with an accident. Both are going to involve a trip to the emergency dentist here at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford.

You never know when an emergency is going to happen, so it’s best to store the practice number in your phone, and the phone of every person in the family who is registered with us.

Out of hours

Because emergencies are no respecters of office hours, we are a member of the local out of hours dental emergency service. This swings into action every evening from 6-10pm, and also from 8am-10pm on weekends. The dental practices involved rotate the duties, so when you call us, a recording will tell you how to get in touch with the dentist on call at the time.

What happens during an emergency appointment

The main goal of an emergency appointment is to get you free from pain. Once that is achieved the dentist can examine you and discover what the problem is.

If you have been in an accident and have lost some teeth, we may be able to put them back in. You need to get to us within 2 hours and with your teeth safely stored, either in your mouth, or in a pot of milk. Never let them dry out or store them in tap water. They will die. Also avoid touching the roots and any flesh on them, as these need to remain intact if your teeth are to be restored to their sockets.