Valuable information on getting emergency dental treatment during the coronavirus outbreak.
Common dental emergencies can strike at any moment without notice. After all, that’s what makes them an emergency — you can’t predict or prepare for them. You can, of course, try to avoid dental emergencies altogether, but they may still occur. You may break a tooth after tripping on some stairs. You may break a tooth because of an accident. Or you may have had a dental problem that worsens into a 24 hour dental clinic near me. These situations can happen even during the coronavirus outbreak.
In fact, one may even argue that the likelihood of a dental emergency is higher during this period. After all, most people have put-off going for regular dental checkups and teeth cleaning because they’re not seen as “essential” services. The lack of preventative dental care creates a ground ripe for dental emergencies to flourish in, such as cavities, periodontitis, tooth decay, etc. In these situations, you need emergency dental care — but where do you go during the coronavirus outbreak? And what’s considered a dental emergency anyway?
This article provides valuable information on getting emergency dental treatment during the coronavirus outbreak, including when you should or shouldn’t see an emergency dentist.
How do I know if I need emergency dental care? What are common dental emergencies?
When you’re dealing with a dental emergency, you must call your emergency dentist near me. Most emergency dental clinics provide a number you can contact outside of business hours during dental emergencies. However, it’s never right to abuse that number for non-emergencies, like a toothache — it’s especially wrong to use that number during a coronavirus. Unfortunately, studies have shown that almost half of all dental emergencies aren’t really emergencies at all. So, let’s look at what is or isn’t considered a dental emergency.
Generally speaking, dental problems that need immediate attention are dental emergencies. By immediate, we’re referring to situations that must be addressed immediately, preferably within an hour. Dental emergencies cause immense and unbearable pain, bleeding, knocked-out teeth, or other such problems. If a situation can escalate within the next hour, if left untreated, that’s a dental emergency. The following are some examples of dental emergencies:
- Knocked-out tooth — in this case, you must contact an emergency dentist within an hour to increase your chances of tooth reattachment.
- Severe and excruciating dental pains.
- Excessive and unbearable toothaches for over 24 hours.
- Bleeding from the mouth.
- Excessively loosened tooth.
- Signs of a dental infection or abscess include pus formation around the gums.
- Excessive bleeding around the soft tissues.
- Large dental fractures on your teeth — not hairline cracks but large fractures.
Now that you understand what IS a dental emergency, it’s just as important to understand what ISN’T an emergency. Dental problems that can wait a week or even a day for treatment aren’t dental emergencies. If your dental problem won’t escalate excessively by waiting a while, then you shouldn’t contact an emergency dentist during a coronavirus outbreak. The following are dental problems often misrepresented as dental emergencies:
- Hairline cracks on the teeth.
- Mild toothaches.
- Lost dental crowns.
- Lost fillings.
- Broken braces.
What’s the right clinic for 24-hour emergency dentistry during the COVID-19?
If your dental problem qualifies as a legitimate 24 hour dental clinic near me, you need to figure out which dental clinic to approach. Ideally, you should already know an emergency dentist you can contact in such a situation. If you don’t, you may consider going to a 24-hour emergency room in a general hospital — however, we don’t recommend that because emergency rooms aren’t equipped to handle dental emergencies, and you shouldn’t go to potentially crowded places during the coronavirus outbreak.
Instead, you should find an 24 hour dental clinic near me that’s open on weekends or at least accepts last-minute emergency dental appointments. The ideal emergency dental clinic should have all implemented all the latest CDC and TDA guidelines for dental clinics. URBN Dental is one of the most reputable dental clinics for emergency dentistry services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Our dental clinic has thoroughly implemented all CDC and TDA safety guidelines.
The following is an overview of the safety and sanitization protocols in our dental clinic:
- Availability of hand hygiene stations.
- Availability of personal protective equipment, such as gloves, face shields, masks, and eyewear.
- Following all respiratory and coughing etiquette.
- Sharps Safety protocol for HVAC systems, engineering, and work practice controls.
- Safe and sanitary injection practices.
- Sterilization of all dental instruments, tools, devices, etc.
- Regular disinfection of all housekeeping surfaces, such as tables and chairs.
The following is an overview of our patient safety precautions:
- We accept same-day appointments for emergencies. However, we encourage you to send a text message informing us of your arrival from your car. We’ll notify you and get you inside the office when the doctor is ready to receive you.
- We perform no-contact fever checks and screening.
- We provide masks upon entrance.
- It’s mandatory for everyone to fill in pre-appointment screenings and COVID-19 questionnaires.
- We only accept a manageable number of appointments per day to minimize patient-to-patient contact within the dental clinic and waiting room.
Schedule an appointment with an emergency dental clinic today.
URBN Dental is the ideal emergency dentist office for urgent dental care near me during the outbreak. Our dental clinic follows all the CDC and TDA guidelines to ensure the safety of our entire community, including our staff, doctors, and patients. Please schedule an appointment with our emergency dental clinic today for more information.