Dental pain in the middle of the night, abscess, broken tooth or swollen cheek… These situations often leave patients helpless. Here is the number to dial.
Without really knowing why, it is very often at night that dental pain flares up or suddenly gets worse. Despite taking paracetamol, nothing happens. In this case, we often go to our phone to find a doctor or emergency service near us, in the middle of the night. Gold “When you type “dental emergency at night” on Google, it often leads to appointment booking platforms.”observes Dr. Christophe Lequart, dental surgeon and vice-president of the French Union for Oral Health. Which does not at all respond to the relief of acute pain.
In practice, the organization of dental care remains very limited outside of usual daytime hours. “There is nothing organized at night” the dental surgeon confirms to us. On-call arrangements do exist, but mainly concern Sundays and public holidays, with an organization that varies depending on the department, most often during the day. Depending on the situation, the patient may be referred to an on-call dental surgeon… or to a hospital facility. “You can have hospital services, more often in maxillofacial surgery, with an intern on call”he adds, particularly in cases of facial trauma.
But when faced with a nighttime emergency, the doctor is very clear: the first reflex is to call 15. The SAMU is able to direct patients to the most suitable solution. “The 15 normally has all the information on the practitioners on call”explains Dr Christophe Lequart. It can also indicate the dental emergency department of the hospital closest to you. Not all dental pain requires immediate treatment at night. “What classifies emergencies is pain, trauma of course, but it can also be aesthetic emergencies,” recalls Dr. Lequart.
In fact, professionals note “often a shift” between patient feelings and medical reality. To assess the situation, several criteria are taken into account. “We will see if the pain is continuous or not, if it gives in to analgesics, if there is swelling…”specifies the specialist. Very intense pain, significant swelling of the face, fever or trauma should alert and justify rapid referral.
Conversely, some pain, although painful, can wait a few hours. “If the emergency is not that urgent, we refer it to the treating practitioner the next day”he says. The challenge is therefore often to distinguish between significant discomfort and a real medical emergency. While waiting for treatment, certain simple actions can help relieve the pain: taking suitable painkillers (paracetamol to swallow or place on the painful tooth then let it melt), applying cold to the cheek or avoiding foods that are too hot or sweet, while waiting for medical advice.
