In This Article
Are you Looking for an Emergency Dentist or When Should you Consult an Emergency Dentist Near Me?
Do you need emergency dental care? Are you looking for an emergency dentist or dental clinic near me? Are you wondering when you should or shouldn’t consult an emergency dentist near me? Dental emergencies happen to everyone. They can happen without any warning or notice. In some cases, they can happen because of a lack of preventative dental care — for example, people who don’t go for regular dental checkups or teeth cleaning are more likely to need emergency tooth extractions or root canals. Whatever your reasons may be, you need to know what to contact an emergency dentist, how to handle a dental emergency, and know about the dentist how emergency dental work.
What is considered a dental emergency?
Do you believe you need emergency dental work? It’s crucial to distinguish between standard dental problems and real dental emergencies. If your dental problem can wait until the morning or the next day, it’s probably not a dental emergency. You should only contact emergency walk-in dental clinics for situations that need immediate attention. For example, if your tooth gets knocked out, you have less than an hour before the chances of reattaching the tooth starts sliding down. In that case, you need immediate and urgent dental care.
Unluckily, most dental situations aren’t as clear-cut, but rather occupy a gray area wherein you don’t know if you have an actual dental emergency. According to the American Family Physician, around 22% of all people have experienced dental emergencies in the last couple of months, but most are non-emergencies that the patients consider emergencies. While most dental clinics provide a number you can contact during emergencies, you must not abuse that privilege. You should only contact your emergency dentist if you truly have a dental emergency.
If you believe you need emergency dental work, ask yourself the following questions to determine if you really need to contact an emergency dentist immediately:
- Has your tooth been knocked out?
- Is your tooth extremely fractured with a crack that extends under the gum line?
- Do you have severe bleeding?
- Is your tooth loose?
- Do you have an excruciating toothache that just won’t go away?
- Do your signs or symptoms of a dental infection or abscess? If you have a dental abscess, you must contact an emergency dentist as soon as possible because it’s potentially life-threatening. Common signs and symptoms of dental infections include swelling, fevers, and pus formation around the gums or the roots of teeth.
- Are your soft tissues bleeding excessively?
Understanding what IS a dental emergency isn’t enough. You must also understand what ISN’T a dental emergency. Generally speaking, if your dental problem can wait until the morning or a few days, it isn’t a dental emergency. You may even have a pretty serious dental problem, but if it can wait for 24 hours, then it’s not an emergency. People often consider the following standard dental problems as dental emergencies:
- A mildly chipped or cracked tooth with a hairline fracture that doesn’t cause any pain.
- A mild toothache without any accompanying signs of a dental infection, such as a fever or swelling.
- Lost fillings, crowns, or other dental products. In this case, you can stick a piece of sugar-free gum into the cavity and contact an emergency dentist during regular dental clinic hours.
- Broken braces.
Can the ER do Emergency Dental Work?
No, emergency room doctors can’t handle emergency dental work. They’re not equipped or trained to handle dental work, so they can only provide antibiotics and/or painkillers, and then refer you to an actual dentist. Furthermore, emergency rooms don’t have doctors trained in dentistry because that’s a very specific niche, and they focus on general doctors. That’s why you shouldn’t go to an ER for emergency dental work — they won’t address the actual issue and simply ask you to go to an actual dentist later. As such, if you go to an ER for a knocked-out tooth, you’ll lose precious time that could have otherwise been spent on reattaching the tooth.
What do you do in a dental emergency work?
If a dental emergency occurs, you must remain calm, collected, and contact your emergency dentist. Explain the precise situation you’re in, and then wait for their recommendation. If you actually need emergency dental work, the dentist will ask you to have someone drive you to their clinic. If it’s not an emergency situation, the dentist will explain how you can handle the situation yourself, and then ask you to schedule an appointment for regular dental clinic hours.
How do you find an emergency dentist?
When looking for an emergency dentist in Houston, TX, you must consider the following factors:
- They must be open on Saturdays or other extended hours.
- They should accept same-day or walk-in appointments for dental emergencies.
- The clinic should be close to your location.
- The emergency dentist should provide a number you can contact outside of business hours during dental emergencies.
- During the COVID-19 outbreak, emergency dentists should also follow all sanitization and safety protocols, such as using personal protective equipment, limited appointments, etc.
Schedule an appointment with our emergency dentist’s office near me
URBN Dental is one of the most reputable clinics for emergency dental situations in Houston, TX. Our dental clinic is open on Saturdays, and we provide a number you can contact for immediate assistance during dental emergencies. For more information, please schedule an appointment with the right emergency walk-in dentist near me.