Urgent care

Urgent care: what to do straight away

“My tooth really hurts”
“My cheek is swollen”
“I’ve broken a tooth”

Severe pain, swelling, a broken or knocked-out tooth: here you’ll find what to do straight away, when to call the practice and when to go to the emergency department. This is general advice, not a diagnosis: only an examination can tell what’s wrong.

+39040660040 Who to call, and when

First of all

Who to call, and when

if you find it hard to breathe, swallow or speak, if swelling spreads up towards the eye or down towards the neck, if you can’t open your mouth, or after a blow to the head, call 112 or go to the emergency department (pronto soccorso);
during opening hours, Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 19:00 and Friday from 9:00 to 18:00, call the practice: we’ll tell you what to do and when to come;
otherwise call the mobiles of the two partners, Dott. Simone Kravos and Dott. Francesco Guadagno (the buttons with their names);
if they don’t answer: for pain, the out-of-hours doctor (guardia medica) on 116117 (at night, at weekends and on public holidays); the emergency department for a tooth knocked out or broken by a blow, for bleeding that doesn’t stop after 20 minutes of pressure with gauze, for swelling with a high fever.

+39040660040 Dott. Simone Kravos+393495379444 Dott. Francesco Guadagno+393803237729

Case by case

What to do while you wait

A tooth hurts a lot
During opening hours call the practice, otherwise the partners’ mobiles. Meanwhile you can take an over-the-counter painkiller that you already use without problems, at the dose on the leaflet.
Don’t put tablets (aspirin, for example) on the gum, and avoid very hot, cold or sweet food and drinks.
Your cheek or gum is swollen
During opening hours call the practice, otherwise the partners’ mobiles. You can hold something cold against the outside of your cheek, at intervals; don’t apply heat.
If you find it hard to breathe, swallow or speak, if the swelling spreads up towards your eye or down towards your neck, or if you can’t open your mouth: 112 or the emergency department. With swelling and a high fever, if the practice and the partners don’t answer, the emergency department.
A tooth has broken or chipped
Rinse your mouth with lukewarm water. If you find the piece, keep it in a container with a little milk and bring it with you.
Call the practice or the partners’ mobiles straight away, especially if the tooth hurts or you can see a pink or red dot in the middle of the broken surface; if it broke in an accident and nobody answers, go to the emergency department.
An adult tooth has been knocked out
If it’s a child’s tooth and you’re not sure whether it’s a baby tooth or an adult tooth, don’t put it back: put it in milk and call straight away.
Every minute counts. Hold the tooth by the crown (the white part you see in the mouth), never by the root; if it’s dirty, rinse it gently for a few seconds in milk or saline, without scrubbing.
If you can, put it back in place and bite on a piece of gauze; otherwise put it in milk, or if you have none in saliva (spit into a glass) or saline: don’t let it dry out. Call the practice or the partners’ mobiles straight away, or go to the emergency department: the sooner the better; within an hour the chances of saving it are higher, but bring it even later.
A baby tooth has been knocked out
Don’t put a knocked-out baby tooth back in: it could damage the adult tooth underneath.
If you’re not sure whether it’s a baby tooth or an adult tooth, don’t put it back: put it in milk and call straight away. If it’s a baby tooth, call the practice for a check-up.
A tooth has moved or is loose after a blow
Don’t try to force it straight, and if it has been pushed into the gum don’t pull it. Call the practice or the partners’ mobiles straight away: it needs to be seen soon, because it sometimes has to be put back in place.
If nobody answers, go to the emergency department.
The wound bleeds after surgery
Bite firmly on a folded piece of sterile gauze over the wound for 20 to 30 minutes, without talking, spitting or rinsing.
If the bleeding hasn’t stopped after 20 minutes of pressure, call the practice or the partners’ mobiles; if they don’t answer, go to the emergency department.
Your brace or denture has broken
It’s usually not an emergency: keep the pieces and call the practice during opening hours.
A brace wire that pokes can be covered with a little orthodontic wax until you come to the practice.

When not to wait

The emergency department and 112

Your safety comes first. Call 112 or go to the emergency department if you find it hard to breathe, swallow or speak, if the swelling spreads up towards your eye or down towards your neck, or if you can’t open your mouth. With swelling and a high fever, if the practice and the partners don’t answer, go to the emergency department.

After any blow to the head, go to the emergency department first. Do the same after a blow to the face if there is loss of consciousness, confusion or memory gaps, a bad headache, vomiting, drowsiness, problems with sight or speech, seizures, bleeding from the nose or ears, or if you can’t close your mouth. We’ll take care of your teeth afterwards.

In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the single number for every emergency, including medical ones, is 112; 118 also remains active. For a problem that isn’t an emergency, when the practice is closed and the partners don’t answer, there is the out-of-hours doctor on 116117, at night, at weekends and on public holidays.

Keep to hand

The practice’s number and the two partners’ mobiles, saved in your phone.
A list of the medicines you take and any allergies.
A clean container and some milk, if a tooth has been knocked out.

If it can wait

Leave us your number

If it can wait and you’d rather we call you back, leave us your number: the front desk will call you back during opening hours. For anything urgent, don’t write: call.