Emergency Dental Care Provides Quick Relief
Posted on: 26 June 2023
Feeling a tooth explode in pain when eating a snack, chipping a tooth with a fall, or noticing the signs of an infection in the mouth do not always occur during normal business hours. Emergency dental care can help avoid a night of misery and an impromptu day off work to coordinate care. For patients without a regular dental care provider, it can be more difficult to locate next-day help for an issue, making an emergency dentist the best option.
Emergency dental care
Emergency dental care includes many tooth problems, such as a dislodged tooth, a severe toothache, an abscess, or a badly cracked tooth, and stretches to busted lips or deep cuts to the gums. For these services, emergency care from a healthcare provider, a personal dentist, or an emergency dental clinic is required to provide relief, prevent infection and start the recovery process. Some dental practices keep a dentist on-call for specialty care overnight or on the weekends, but emergency dentists operate outside of standard business hours to meet the needs of patients when dental offices are closed.
Emergency dentists nearby
Emergency dental service facilities, such as those offering late-night or 24/7 care, are typically operated in population hubs capable of generating a manageable number of patients after standard business hours. If you're located in a rural area, a web search can help discover the closest location. Consider driving time and potential wait times at the dentist's office when weighing the costs and benefits of the trip. For a tooth issue that starts in the middle of the night, an urgent morning appointment with a regular dental care provider may take the same amount of time and save money.
Additional considerations
Dental insurance coverage often has strict limits on the types of procedures covered and plan contributions. A visit to the emergency dentist may end up leaving the scope of your plan and generate a higher upfront bill. It's also possible your dental plan limits emergency coverage due to increased costs. An emergency dentist may also refuse certain insurance plans or be able to bill a medical insurer for certain injuries to lower out-of-pocket costs. If you have any questions concerning insurance, contact the office before visiting and review policy documents. For serious emergencies, such as facial trauma or potential infections, visiting an emergency room or urgent care clinic provides an opportunity for pain mitigation and treatment prior to visiting a dentist as part of recovery.
For more information, contact an emergency dentist near you.
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