What is an Emergency Dentist?

An emergency dentist could be considered similar to the A&E department at your local hospital, except that it caters specifically for dental problems, and not accidents that affect your general health. Most emergency dentists are available twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, to provide services for injuries that occur at any time. No one can predict when such accidents will happen, so it’s comforting to know that there is treatment available for emergency situations that are not necessarily life-threatening. A lot of people might not even be aware that such a service exists, but there are many emergency clinics all over the country, most of which provide general appointments – such as check-ups, cosmetic restoration, and cleaning facilities – for registered patients during the day, as well as offering assistance to non-registered patients outside of office hours. If you are worried about dental trauma or you would just like to prepare for every eventuality, keep contact details for the Pearl Dental Clinic in a safe place, to save you scrambling around for a phone number and address in the event of an emergency.

If it’s an emergency, shouldn’t I just go to the hospital?

Not necessarily, there is a big difference between a dental emergency and a medical one, and you could save yourself some time and effort by learning what separates the two.

Dental emergency – This is characterised by dental injuries of any kind, they don’t have to be extremely painful; enamel chips and cracks, extruded (twisted) or knocked-out teeth, severe toothache, cases of decay and gum disease, and many others. Generally speaking, your health is not going to be in any danger when you are seeking dental treatment, and you may have to wait twenty-four hours for an appointment, if your case is not immediately serious.

Medical emergency – Injuries involving the teeth are usually compounded by more painful problems, such as jaw damage or head trauma, which need to be seen by a doctor, not a dentist. Lacerations to the mouth should also be taken to the hospital, especially if they are bleeding heavily. Another good point to remember is that obvious symptoms of infection, such as abscesses, can be hazardous if left to deteriorate to a life-threatening degree; associated health warnings, like dizziness, nausea, and high fever, can’t be dealt with at a dental surgery, they are signs of further reaching problems that require medical attention.

Similarly, don’t take a dental emergency to the hospital if you can avoid it; doctors and nurses won’t be qualified to perform root canals or more complicated surgeries involving your teeth, so it’s more than likely that you will be sitting in the waiting room for a long time, before they simply patch you up and send you on your way. Try to evaluate your symptoms and consider whether or not your general health is at risk; this can be difficult in an emergency situation, but remembering the basics should help you make the right decision – you could also try calling the clinic or a medical helpline, and speaking to them about your situation, a professional can help you establish what is a dental emergency and what requires more immediate treatment.

Are emergency dentists expensive?

Due to the on-the-spot service they provide, it’s somewhat inevitable that emergency dentists are going to be more expensive than your local surgery. It costs money to organise immediate surgical treatment, so if you are in need of a root canal filling or one of your teeth has to be removed right away, this will push the cost up. However, when you consider that you might be waiting months for an appointment with your regular dentist, this is an invaluable service, and one that is worth a little extra money. As long as you are aware of this fact, the invoice won’t come as too much of a shock, when your treatment is complete.

All reputable clinics should talk you through what is about to happen and what it is you are paying for, as well as outlining applicable costs beforehand, which should help put you at ease as far as money is concerned. If you attend a surgery where the staff don’t make the costs clear for you, or they continually try to push you into having treatment before you really know what’s happening, you should decline their offer and find another clinic – even in an emergency situation, you should be aware of unscrupulous people who are out for what they can get. As mentioned above, you can avoid this pitfall by selecting a surgery that provides emergency services out of office hours, that way you are more likely to trust them and the service they are offering you.

Do I have to register with the emergency dentist after my treatment?

That’s entirely up to you; it’s likely that you will be offered a place as you are filling in the necessary paper work, and you really should consider this carefully – especially if you have on-going dental problems that are prone to flare-ups at all hours of the day and night. The clinic won’t refuse to treat you if you are not registered, almost all emergency dentists operate a walk-in service throughout the night for anyone and everyone who suffers dental problems, but it could give you peace of mind to know that there is always someone familiar there to help you if the worst should happen. Not only will registering make you feel better, it will also mean that you don’t have to fill in the same paperwork again when you phone up or arrive; all of your information will be kept on file, including your medical history and personal details. By keeping a record of all previous dental or medical procedures, it helps the staff recommend suitable treatment for your current situation, and it means that your emergency appointments will be with the same people you have your regular check-ups with.