Emergency Dental Care Requires a Plan

There are few things more unpleasant than biting into some food and chomping down unexpectedly into something hard such as a bone or shell that chips or even breaks a tooth.

When a tooth is chipped or broken, oftentimes there is a significant amount of pain that accompanies the injury and it is vital to get to a dentist quickly to get the problem taken care of. That is why having plans in place for emergency dental care is very important. It is best to have a plan in place and never use it than have an accident and not know how to proceed.

Ask Your Dentist

Many emergency dental care plans need to start with preventative dental care. Visiting your dentist regularly can help stop potential problems before they even start. Generally, the recommendation is to visit your dentist for a check up and teeth cleaning once every six months. This small investment of time can save you from a dental emergency later.

In addition, it can’t hurt to ask your dentist for advice regarding emergency dental care while you’re at a regular appointment. Your dentist might be willing to be on call for emergencies, which would be the most convenient possibility. If not, he or she might be able to recommend a colleague who specializes in emergency dental care for the patient to contact as a backup dentist.

Web Search

A good way to find a dentist that specializes in emergency dental care is to do a quick web search. This will allow the patient to compare several local dentists and read consumer reviews, which can help give them an idea of whether or not the dentist will be ideal for providing the kind of emergency care that the patient may need.

This will also give the patient an idea as to the location of the different offices, which obviously plays a factor when deciding on an emergency dental care provider. The potential new patient should make sure that the emergency dentist will accept the patient’s insurance. Taking care of that detail while healthy can save a boatload of money down the road.

Visit an Emergency Room

While not ideal, sometimes emergency dental care will have to be provided at the hospital. When all else fails, there are enough trained medical staff available at any hospital to help a patient make it until they can visit their normal dentist. In some critical situations, the hospital will likely be able to take care of the issue themselves. While it can be expensive, the other advantage is that most hospitals accept a wide range of insurance.

Regardless of how you choose to handle an emergency dental care situation, a little planning can provide a lot of future relief.

Robert Seitzinger covers a variety of dental care issues for many Sherwood dentists.