Emergency Dentist Services in Lower Hutt
Did you know that if your tooth is knocked out, you can get it put back in? Or that the number one dental accident in New Zealand is chipped teeth? If you knocked a tooth out opening a bottle cap Switch Dental can help!
We work with ACC, who cover costs for dental treatment from injuries. ACC will cover anyone in New Zealand who is injured or involved in an accident and in need of dental work. If you’re a visitor, beneficiary, child, adult, teenager, student, employed, unemployed or retired, you are eligible for ACC compensation. ACC consultations are $30, this is when our dentist will have a chat with you, examine you.
Switch Dental can make claims on your behalf and help with all the paperwork. All you need to do is focus on recovering. ACC’s compensation clauses are no-fault and will subsidies the costs of your appointments, treatment and recovery. That means no matter what you were doing or how the accident happened, ACC will cover you according to their legislation. ACC operates as a co-payment system – this means that they will notify you how much they will cover and the rest will be paid privately.
If you’re injured, immediately seek help from your dentists at Switch. We have emergency examinations available every day of the week in our Lower Hutt location. As long as the damage was caused by an accident then you will be covered and ACC will help with replacement costs for dentures, prostheses and implants.
In the meantime, here are some practical steps to take between your injury and meeting your dentist for some of our most common injuries. If your accident isn’t listed here, please call us and we’ll walk you through some simple first aid for your teeth.
If your tooth is knocked out, it can be put back in without too much trouble. Pick up the tooth by the top, and clean out any dirt or grime – you don’t want any carpet fluff going in your mouth! Next, put the tooth carefully back in the gum socket and hold it there by gently biting down on some cloth. If you can’t get the tooth back in, just pop it in a glass of milk and bring it with you to the dentist as fast as you can (milk will allow the tooth to stay moist and also has vital proteins and sugars that offer protection). Our dentist will replace your tooth immediately. The sooner your tooth is back in the socket the better the outcome will be.
For vegans and non-dairy drinkers, or if you don’t have milk in the house, pop the tooth under your lip and get to Switch Dental. Just be careful not to swallow your tooth.
Should your tooth get chipped or cracked, it’s crucial to protect the broken tooth. Your dentist at Switch Dental Lower Hutt will place a covering over the tooth. Inner layers like dental pulp or roots might be exposed, which can get infected very quickly if left unattended. Give us a call and head on down. If you still have the chipped part of your tooth, bring it with you and our dentist will see if they can use it to repair the tooth. If not, you have a small souvenir and a good story to tell!
Displaced teeth are if your tooth isn’t fully knocked out, but is still hanging out or pushed pack. If you close your mouth or bite down normally, get to Switch Dental as soon as possible. The sooner we can put the tooth back in its normal position, the best chance your tooth has of surviving. If your tooth survives, it means fewer complications in the long run and a reduced risk of infection.
Thanks to our central Hutt location, Switch Dental is easy to get to in Lower Hutt, so you can race on down. The bottom line is this: no matter the injury or cause, no matter who’s at fault, get to your local emergency dentist, Switch Dental as soon as possible.
