Our Emergency Dentistry Services Are There When You Need Them

Is your dentist an emergency dentistry specialist? This is a routine question that you should ask and they aren’t you should switch to our office. The worst thing to find out, in an emergency situation, is that you do not have access to the resources you need. As an emergency dentist, like most emergency physicians, rarely do people plan on seeing us. We know that we are not on the top of anyone’s emergency call list and may not even be listed in the majority of people’s directories. This is because most people never consider that they might need emergency medical services one day, much less those of a dental nature.

This is also the reason most people do not know if their own provider can provide them with urgent dental care for a killer toothache that starts at 2am on Memorial Day weekend. It is important to remember that a dental emergency is, in fact, the same as a medical emergency and should be treated with the same amount of urgency. Knowing where you can get the right care is the first place to start. Being able to reach someone who specializes in emergency dentistry in a hurry is also a good idea, since tooth pain can often be debilitating.

Seeking emergency dentistry services at the local emergency room of your nearest hospital is an exercise in futility. Emergency dentists do not set up shop in the emergency room since we are a specialty provider with a very distinct training. Unfortunately, more Americans are seeking this kind of care in the ER than ever before. Recently the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducted a study that encompassed 24 states and three years. The study also found that over the three years the number of people that were in an emergency room for dental problems increased by over 16%. They also found that of these patients, who were in the ER seeking dental care, over 20% were returning patients who had already been treated previously for the same ailment.

The reason for people needing repeat care is that the emergency room doctors are skilled physicians, not dentist. They have never been trained as dentists, which means they know how to treat the symptoms of whatever you have bothering you but can neither diagnose nor treat the underlying causes. When the underlying cause of your pain, for example, is a severe infection the emergency room will not be able to do more than take away your pain and send you away to see a dentist as soon as possible. As an emergency dentist, however, we are a trained dentist and hence can treat both.

People look for emergency dentistry services for any number of reasons. The most common reason is a toothache that comes on suddenly. What is important to know about a toothache is that it may be a symptom of something much more serious. Diseases like periodontal disease can manifest as a toothache, and so you should see a dentist as soon as possible. Also, if you damage your tooth by cracking or chipping it, you should visit our office right away to prevent the damage from spreading. We are here when you need us, regardless of when your dental problem strikes. Call us right away to get the care that you need.