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What do you do when you have a dental emergency? Do you go to the nearest hospital? Or should you call your dentist?Dental injuries are quite common--especially in children. Parents often do not know the best way to handle them. Dr. Linda Niessen has one example in this segment of Dental Health Check, recorded on a live broadcast from the Channel 8 studios on Saturday, February 23, 2008.NOTE: Broadcast of the full approximately 5 minute program follows the story.
THE STORY: Dental Emergency
LIVE AIRDATE: Saturday, February 23, 2008
What do you do when you have a dental emergency? Do you go to the nearest hospital? Or should you
call your dentist?
ANCHOR: Dr. Linda Niessen, a professor from Baylor College of Dentistry joins us this morning with some answers that might surprise you.Welcome Dr. Niessen.
DR. LINDA NIESSEN: Thanks. Glad to be here. Dental injuries are quite common--especially in children. Parents often do not know the best way to handle them. Here is one example.
Every year, thousands of children break or dislodge their teeth. That is what happened to 8 year old Austin Bashaw, whose permanent front teeth were damaged in a home accident.
“Running around the house," said Tony Bashaw, Austin's father, "and he had a collision with his brother, planting his brand new front teeth into the forehead of one of his little brothers. This location where they pushed in and were pointing toward the back of the throat.”
ER Physician Dr. Elizabeth Fagan comments: “We are really lucky because we have a dentist on staff who will allow us to call 24/7, doesn’t
mind if we bounce things off of her and is always willing to come in especially for all our children.”
Dr. Elizabeth Fagan of Richardson Regional Medical Center calls in a staff dentist when a patient’s tooth appears to be in jeopardy.
“She was an ER nurse actually for 13 years before she went back to dental school," Dr. Fagan added.
Dr. Pam Moore, a former ER nurse, now practices dentistry.
“By working all those years, I saw patients in crisis with dental emergencies and saw the frustration that even if they had a dentist, the dentist not having hospital privileges and not being able to come in and take care of them in this setting.”
Most hospitals do not have a staff dentist who responds to emergencies at night or on weekends. Call the hospital ER before you show up.
ER Physician Dr. Fagan added, “Because there are so many areas that don’t have coverage or back-up for dental emergencies.”
If an emergency occurs during office hours, go directly to your dentist. After hours, try to reach the dentist by phone. Avoid the hospital ER if the dentist will see you immediately at the office.
ANCHOR: So, Dr. Niessen-- dentists are the best doctors to handle a dental emergency?
DR. NIESSEN: Absolutely.
SOME TIPS THAT FOLLOW IN THE VIDEO;
* Milk can help preserve the root of a dislocated tooth. Or place the tooth in the tooth socket inside the mouth en route to the dentist if there is no danger of a young child swallowing it.
* How teeth can be successfully re-implanted after being knocked out, and when they cannot.
THE BROADCAST
STORY: Dental Emergency--LIVE BROADCAST RECORDING
AIRDATE: Saturday, February 23, 2008
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