Emergency dentists play an essential role in your
dental care plan. You must have a number for a reputable emergency dentist in
case you lose a tooth, or you have a significant toothache at night, weekend or
perhaps on holiday. Your emergency dentist can be your regular dentist, but
many dentists still do not provide emergency services. In a severe emergency
where you can't find a suitable dentist on call, an ER might be able to get you
the care you need until a dentist arrived.
Emergency dentists provide emergency
dental care to patients at night or on weekends. Sometimes an on-call the dentist will make you an appointment for early the next morning before regular
business hours, and although not ideal, it does beat waiting till the office
opens.
The most common problem requiring emergency dental
services is a severe toothache brought on by impaction
or an abscess (infection). Your dentist may help you by pulling your tooth or
doing a root canal, but sometimes you will have to take an antibiotic first.
Some other methods of emergencies requiring urgent
care are a chipped tooth, broken tooth, loose tooth, a tooth being knocked out,
a broken filling or cap, or any other dental problem causing severe pain. There
is no specific guideline in regards to what creates an emergency, and services
and procedures vary from dentist to dentist.
An emergency dentist isn't
a replacement for regular dental care but is an essential element of your
overall dental care plan. By keeping a dentist's contact information readily
available, you can save pain, and lessen the chance of permanent damage to your
smile.