Night Dental Emergencies in Families With Children
Reading a child's night pain and arriving prepared shapes how the night goes.
How to read a child's pain at night
A child cannot always describe pain: restlessness, chewing on one side only, broken sleep and holding the cheek are often the only signs. Brief pain with heat or sweets suggests decay, while spontaneous throbbing suggests the pulp is involved.
A bump on the gum, a swollen cheek, fever or difficulty opening the mouth means the process has advanced and should not wait for morning. If swelling spreads with difficulty swallowing or breathing, go to a hospital emergency department — that is beyond dental care.
Preparing a child for the visit
Explaining what will happen in plain, unfrightening words helps: that the tooth will be looked at and a picture may be taken is enough. If you have given a painkiller, note the time and dose — we need to know.
Bring a familiar toy or blanket. A note of the child's medicines and any known allergy speeds the assessment. Call as you set out and preparation will be complete by the time you arrive.
Useful to keep at home with children
- Clean gauze, to bite on for pressure if there is bleeding
- A cold pack, applied outside on the cheek
- A small lidded pot and milk, to carry a tooth or fragment
- A written list of the child's medicines and doses
- A thermometer — we need to know if there is fever
- The clinic's number saved in your phone
- A copy of any previous dental radiographs
Before You Arrive from Guvenlik: What to Do in the First Hour
What you can do before setting out from Guvenlik does not replace treatment, but it keeps the situation from worsening and buys you time.
Before leaving Guvenlik
What you should do before setting out from Guvenlik depends on your complaint, and detailed first-aid steps for each are on the relevant page. On the way from Emergency in Guvenlik, using the wrong measure can make things worse, so it matters which page you read — applying heat to swelling spreads the infection, and placing a painkiller tablet on the tooth burns the gum.
- Toothache
- Dental abscess and facial swelling
- A broken or cracked tooth
- A knocked-out tooth
- Bleeding after an extraction
What calling achieves for Guvenlik
Calling as you set out from Guvenlik does two things: you receive first-aid guidance suited to your situation, and the radiograph and surgery are prepared while you travel. For Emergency in Guvenlik: for patients coming from across Muratpasa, this arrangement noticeably shortens the wait.
What an Emergency Visit Covers for a Patient from Guvenlik
For a patient attending as an emergency from Guvenlik, the aim is to stop the pain and the infection; definitive work is left to a planned appointment.
Completed the same night for Guvenlik
Examination and a radiograph, opening the canal to release pressure, draining an abscess, stopping bleeding, temporarily sealing a broken tooth, splinting a loose tooth and adjusting a poking orthodontic wire are all completed the same night for a patient from Guvenlik as well.
Left to a later visit for Guvenlik
For a patient from Emergency in Guvenlik, completing the root filling, making a crown or onlay, the permanent restoration and the implant and prosthetic stages are done at planned appointments. If you are coming from Guvenlik, these are combined according to your journey and given to you in writing, so you do not have to travel from Muratpasa repeatedly.
