appointments & emergencies

Amherst Dental Group - 24-Hour Emergency Service

If any of the following emergencies occur after regular office hours, we have a 24-hour answering service. One of your ADG dentists is always "on call." He or she will be quickly reached by phone or beeper at anytime (Sundays and Holidays included). When you call, please emphasize that you need to personally speak to one of the doctors.

If you haven't already placed our number with your other emergency numbers, do it now: AMHERST DENTAL GROUP (24-HOUR NUMBER): (716) 689-8882. If you are out of the area, most hospitals have dental staffs that can be contacted by emergency room personnel.

First Aid for Mouth Injuries: Here are some common accidents and what you can do if they occur:

Tooth is Knocked Out:

FIND THE TOOTH! Rinse it gently with milk or water, DO NOT RUB IT CLEAN! Just rinse it off as best you can. Avoid touching the root of the tooth. If you can and are comfortable doing this, push the tooth back into its socket (make sure you don't put it in backwards). If you cannot re-insert it, do one of the following (listed in order of preference):

First Choice:

THINK - Think vs. rush. If the person is sufficiently mature, alert and able to think clearly at the moment, have them place the tooth inside their cheek. It is recommended that a natural parent can place the tooth inside their own mouth, if the child cannot do this. Then, call us immediately.

Second Choice:

Place the tooth in milk. Then, call us immediately.

Third Choice:

Place the tooth in water. Then, call us immediately.

IN ANY EVENT, CALL US WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RE-INSERT THE TOOTH.

If the tooth is re-inserted within 30 minutes of the accident, there is a good chance that it can be saved.

Tooth is loosened:

This is a very common injury. Carefully and gently push (ease) the tooth back to its normal position. Then call us.

Broken or Cracked Tooth:

We should see a tooth that is cracked or broken AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Bring the broken piece with you, if you can find it within a reasonable period of time (5 minutes or so). IMPORTANT: Follow step 1, 2 or 3 above to keep tooth viable ("active") until you get to our office. With the new bonding materials available, we may be able to bond the pieces back together.

Lacerated Lip:

Since the lip has a very generous blood supply, a laceration many times can look much worse than it really is. Your first concern with this injury is to GET THE BLEEDING TO STOP. IF BLEEDING IS REALLY BAD AND YOU CANNOT GET IT TO STOP, CALL A PHYSICIAN AND/OR IMMEDIATELY TAKE PATIENT TO THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ROOM.

To attempt this, first cover the area with a gauze or CLEAN handkerchief and apply continuous pressure (many times patients can apply pressure themselves). If the gauze or cloth becomes saturated with blood and saliva, add another piece of gauze or cloth. Do not remove. Call us.

Bitten or Lacerated Tongue:

With the addition of saliva, a bleeding tongue, as with a lacerated lip, can look much worse than it really is. Again, apply pressure with gauze or cloth.

A MORE SERIOUS INJURY is when a piece of tongue is actually severed. This is a severe injury and IMMEDIATE TRANSPORTATION TO A HOSPITAL is indicated. In the interim and while you're on your way, to control bleeding, pressure is used. The severed piece of tongue should be carefully wrapped with a moist clean dressing and placed into a plastic bag, which in turn is placed into another plastic bag that contains water and some ice. The object is to KEEP THE SEVERED PART COOL BUT NOT FROZEN. Naturally, send this with the patient to the hospital.

Dislocation of the Jaw:

A dislocated jaw usually is locked open. Some people are prone to this and can self-manipulate the jaw closed by placing your thumbs over the lower back teeth and pushing gently downward and backward. For those that cannot, do not panic but take the individual to an emergency room.