Overnight Dental Emergencies: What Options Are Available?
Dental emergencies can be very painful and scary experiences, and it is important that you have them checked out as soon as you can. If you have a broken tooth, for instance, it needs to be repaired before bacteria can get inside and cause decay and infection. While you can likely manage some pain at home, do not make the mistake of not seeking emergency dental assistance.
Find A 24-Hour Dental Care Facility
Dealing with a dental emergency as soon as possible is important. You may automatically think that the emergency room at a hospital is the best place to go. However, keep in mind that although the emergency medical team can likely help you control pain, they will not be able to make any needed repairs.
Instead, go to an all-night dental care facility in your area. These facilities not only allow you to bring in an emergency at any time of day or night, you also do not typically have to make an appointment. You can simply sign in and wait for the dentist to see you. If you require a procedure that will need more than one appointment to complete, you can ask the dentist if he or she would be willing to see you again for further treatment. Although they are emergency clinics, you may often find a dentist that you can see regularly. The capability of going to an emergency clinic for regular care will highly depend on how busy the clinic is from day to day. Obviously, the most emergent cases are prioritized.
Additional Emergency Dentistry Options
If you do not have an emergency dental care facility near you, you will have to control your discomfort at home until you can get an appointment with your dentist. You can do this with over-the-counter pain medication and heat or ice packs. As soon as you are injured, go ahead and call your dental office no matter the time of day. The office should have an answering service with instructions for what to do in case of an emergency. If the answering service does not have this option, you should be able to leave a message for the dentist about your emergency. The office should return your call and hopefully make you an emergency appointment for the next day.
There is no reason you should deal with the pain of an emergency dental issue. Be sure to have it dealt with in some way as soon as possible to avoid a permanent problem that can result in the loss of a tooth.