The First Steps in an Emergency: Examination, Radiograph, Treatment
The order of steps at night is not arbitrary — each one determines the next.
The source of the pain is found first
Toothache misleads. An upper tooth can be felt in the lower jaw, a back tooth in the ear or temple, and patients often cannot point to the culprit. So the examination covers the neighbouring teeth, the gums and the bite, not only the tooth you indicate.
Cold and heat tests, percussion and gentle probing take minutes but settle the question: inflamed living pulp, infection at the root tip, or a gum problem? Each answer leads to a completely different procedure, and treatment given without that answer postpones the pain by a few hours at best.
Why a radiograph comes early
The examination shows what is visible; the radiograph shows the root, the bone and the tissue under a filling. An area of inflammation at the root tip, an impacted wisdom tooth, a root fracture or an inadequate old root filling are only revealed on the image.
Radiographs are therefore taken at night as well, using low-dose dental imaging — in pregnancy with a lead apron and only when necessary. Opening a canal or deciding on an extraction without an image risks losing a tooth that could have been kept.
The sequence once you arrive
- Listening to when and how the complaint began
- Recording medicines, allergies and chronic conditions
- Intraoral examination: teeth, gums, bite and any swelling
- Taking a radiograph of the relevant area
- Explaining the findings and the options to you
- Anaesthetic and the procedure aimed at the cause
- Written instructions and the next step planned before you leave
Before You Arrive from Yildiz: What to Do in the First Hour
What you can do before setting out from Yildiz does not replace treatment, but it keeps the situation from worsening and buys you time.
Before leaving Yildiz
What you should do before setting out from Yildiz depends on your complaint, and detailed first-aid steps for each are on the relevant page. On the way from Emergency in Yildiz, 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 Yildiz
Calling as you set out from Yildiz 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 Yildiz: for patients coming from across Muratpasa, this arrangement noticeably shortens the wait.
What an Emergency Visit Covers for a Patient from Yildiz
For a patient attending as an emergency from Yildiz, the aim is to stop the pain and the infection; definitive work is left to a planned appointment.
Completed the same night for Yildiz
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 Yildiz as well.
Left to a later visit for Yildiz
For a patient from Emergency in Yildiz, 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 Yildiz, these are combined according to your journey and given to you in writing, so you do not have to travel from Muratpasa repeatedly.
