DENTAL EMERGENCY

1. Listen and fill in:

Teeth can be traumatized due to a number of reasons including ______________________________,
motor accidents, ______________________________ during fights, contact sports, etc. Oral injuries
cause intense pain and should be treated by a dental surgeon as soon as possible. These injuries may range
from common ______________________________

to a serious fracture of a tooth or a

______________________________ . Here are some tips.

Severe toothache. ______________________________ your mouth with warm

water to get rid of ______________________________ . If swelling is present, place
a ______________________________ pack on the cheek. Your pulp may be dying or
an ______________________________ or pulpitis has developed. Call your dentist to
make an ______________________________

or visit a 24 hour dental

emergency care department.

______________________________ (avulsed) tooth. Try to find the tooth. Rinse it. Do

not

scrub

it.

Place

the

tooth

in

your

mouth

between

______________________________ . Do not attempt to force the tooth into the

______________________________ . Doing so could further damage the gum. See the
dentist immediately ( within ______________________________ , if possible), it may be possible to
______________________________ the tooth.

Extruded tooth. If the tooth is ______________________________

of place

(dislodged inwardly, outwardly or axially), do not try to reposition it to its normal

______________________________

as you may cause further damage to the

___________________________ or to the ______________________________ , if it

is fractured. It is essential to be seen by the dentist within ______________________________ .

Broken

tooth.

Chipping

______________________

the

is

not

______________________
an

emergency,

but

or

if

the

_________________________ is exposed see your dentist as quickly as you can. In

the

meantime,

gently

rinse

your

mouth

with

warm

water

to

clean

______________________ of debris. If necessary, place cold compress on the face, in the area of the
______________________ tooth to minimize ______________________. The dentist will restore the
tooth either by ______________________ it or by placing a full permanent ______________________,
if the enamel or dentine is involved. If there is damage _______________________, further dental
treatment will be required.

Objects

wedged

between

teeth.

Try

to

remove

the

object

with

_________________________ . Carefully _________________________ to avoid

cutting

the

gums.

Do

not

_________________________

use

_________________________

or

instrument. If gums are injured, rinse with an

_________________________ . If not successful, visit the dentist.

Fractured jaw. If fracture is suspected _________________________ the jaw by
any means, e.g. necktie, scarf or towel. Apply cold compress if swelling occurs. Go
to the hospital emergency department without _________________________ .
Dry socket. If you had your tooth _________________________ 2 or 3 days ago and
you are now suffering _________________________

pain in the area

accompanied by _________________________ and you have difficulties opening

your

mouth,

you

have

probably

developed

dry

socket

as

____________________ complication. Do not waste time taking OTC analgetics.

This is a severe _________________________ of the socket and any delay in seeing the dentist will
produce _________________________ of your condition.
Sometimes lips, gums or cheeks have cuts and they need to be ______________________ . Injuries to the
soft tissues of the mouth include _________________________, ______________________ wounds,
lacerations of the cheeks, lips or the tongue. The wound should be cleaned immediately and if necessary the
person should be taken to the emergency department to ______________________ sutures.
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_________________________

tongue or lip. Press the bleeding area with a

_________________________ . If swelling develops, apply cold compress.

Bleeding from the _________________________
_________________________

tongue can be stopped by

and pressing a gauze pad upon the injured area. If

bleeding is not _________________________ , report to the hospital emergency unit.

Problems with braces. If a wire is causing irritation, cover it with a small
_________________________ , beeswax or a piece of gauze, until you can get help
from the dentist, possibly an orthodontist.
If your _________________________ has become loose or a part of it has broken off,
take the appliance and the part and go to the orthodontist _________________________ .
If a wire gets embedded in the cheek, tongue or gum, _________________________ to remove it
yourself. Attend your dentist quickly.

If you are a dentist, you may come across various _________________________ in your dental
surgery, affecting your patients:
Collapse. Failure of circulation leading to a sudden drop in _________________________ , may be the
result of an anaphylactic _________________________ . If not managed, it can prove
________________________ . Call an ambulance, give medications, _______________________ .
Fainting. Temporary loss of consciousness due to _________________________

ischaemia,

commonly on emotional basis. Lay the patient down with the head _________________________ .
Haemorrhage. _________________________ escape of blood from the vein or artery following
_________________________ . Apply a gelatine thrombin _________________________ or insert
_________________________ .

2. Listen and answer the questions:

1. What dental emergency does Ian come with to his GDP?
___________________________________________________________________
2. How did it happen?
___________________________________________________________________
3. What did his mother do about it?
___________________________________________________________________
4. What is the treatment plan?
___________________________________________________________________
5. What will the GDP be checking?
___________________________________________________________________
Follow-up: If the treatment plan does not work what different treatment will be suggested in your
opinion? What possible condition does GDP have in mind when asking the final question?

3. Give advice. Use: must, should, why don't you..., etc.

1. I have slipped and knocked out two upper incisors.
2. John's right cheek is swollen.
3. Mr Smith had a car accident. He hit his head against the steering wheel.
4. A wire has stuck in my palate.
5. Mr Hudson's denture fell out onto the floor and broke apart.
6. Tom got a blow on the mouth. His lips are lacerated.
7. A fishbone got wedged between my teeth.
8. I had my tooth pulled out and I feel a terrible pain.

4. Speculate about possible reasons of the following. Say what could have happened.
1.

The cheek is swollen.

2.

I can't open my mouth wide.

3.

The lower lip is bleeding.

4.

The tooth is pushed out of its place.

5.

A wire is embedded in the tongue.

6.

The gum is torn apart.

7.

The left central upper incisor is broken.

5. Your elder brother is a student of dentistry. He cannot help you personally but he gave you some
advice on the phone. Report to your mum what he told you. Change into reported speech.
1. Don't try to remove the object yourself.
2. Apply

cold compress.

3. Immobilize the jaw.

4. Go to the dentist immediately.
5. Stop the bleeding.
6. Don't force the tooth into the socket.
7. Place the tooth in the poach between the cheek and gum.

6. Instruct people what to do in case of collapse, fainting, haemorrhage. Use the following
words:
ambulance
antihistamines
vitals (pulse, blood pressure, respiration)
suture
supine position
sponge with thrombin
7. Complete the sentences without referring to the text:
1. Teeth can be traumatized due to _________________________ , _________________________
accidents, _________________________ sports, etc.
2. Oral injuries _________________________ from a toothache to a fracture of a jaw bone.
3. If swelling is present, _________________________ a cold _________________________ .
4. When a tooth has been _________________________

try to find it but do not attempt to

_________________________ it into the _________________________ .

5. An _________________________

tooth is _________________________

inwardly or

_________________________ .
6. Such a tooth can be _________________________ to its normal _________________________ .
7. _________________________

the enamel is not an emergency but if the pulp is

_________________________ due to fracture see your dentist _________________________ .

8. If the gums are _________________________ rinse them with an _________________________ .
9. Soft tissue oral injuries need to be _________________________ to.
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10.

They

include

tears,

_________________________

wounds

or

various

_________________________ .
11. Please _________________________ to the nearest emergency care clinic.
12. Collapse is a _________________________ of circulation with a sudden
_________________________ in blood pressure.
13. _________________________ loss of _________________________ is called fainting.
14.

In

case

of

_________________________

escape

of

blood

you

may

need

to

_________________________ sutures.
15.

Any

_________________________

in

seeing

your

dentist

will

cause

_________________________ of your condition.

8. You are calling the dentist's office to make an emergency appointment. Follow the instructions
and act out the dialogue. Then swap roles.
Patient

Receptionist
1. Answer the phone

2. Say hello, introduce yourself, ask to speak to

the receptionist
3. Ask about the problem
4. Explain the problem
5. Offer the date and the exact time of the
appointment
6. Ask what you can do in the meantime
7. Suggest appropriate measures
9. You are on duty at the dental emergency department. A patient in pain has been escorted by his
friend here. Ask questions to find out about the following:
1. patient's particulars, e.g. name, age, etc.
2. what happened
3. when the accident took place
4. patient's general condition, e.g. consciousness
5. character of injuries
6. injuries to the face
7. any first aid given
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