An Emergency Dentist Can Help You In a Pinch

As an emergency dentist, we have found that most people never anticipate needing our services.  Beyond the standard teeth cleaning, the thought of cracking or chipping a tooth, isn't something that most people spend time thinking about until, of course, it happens.  Most dental offices have limited business hours, making it important to have access to emergency care.  The emergency rooms at hospitals are not equipped to deal with dental issues.  In fact, if you wait in the ER they will typically refer you to a dentist, so it is best to simply call us right away.  We have extended hours and will return your call as quickly as possible so that you can receive the immediate care that you need.

It is critical that you visit our dental office as soon as you injure your tooth.  Whether it is cracked, chipped or knocked out, receiving the appropriate care will ensure that the damage doesn't spread.  For example, if a tooth because cracked, bacteria can get into the space and infect the tooth.  People that don't seek immediate care, often find themselves needing to have an infection removed while simultaneously needing to restore a tooth.  This can be significantly uncomfortable.  By visiting our office immediately, you can avoid this situation entirely.

Emergencies are common in children.

Children are at a particular risk for dental emergencies. This can be due to several factors including how aggressively they play.  It is good for children to get exercise but with all of the running, jumping, monkey-bar-swinging and tags, it is no wonder that they tend to crack and chip their teeth on a regular basis.  It is so common, in fact, that one-third of children in Kindergarten has injured at least one of their primary teeth.  By age twelve, 25 percent of children have damaged at least one permanent teeth.  This is significant when you consider that you only get one set of permanent teeth and protecting them is incredibly important. As an emergency dentist, we can provide immediate care if something happens to you or your child's teeth but we prefer to help you prevent an emergency in the first place.

According to the American Dental Association, adults are also highly susceptible to damaging their teeth and the leading cause of it is playing sports.  Since most adults only play for fun or on a recreational league, this means that even casual games of basketball can damage your teeth.  In order to reduce your risk, we recommend that you wear a mouthguard while playing or practicing, even if it is a pickup game of basketball after work.  While this may not be common, it can save you the inconvenience of a damaged tooth.

Prevention

As an emergency dentist, we are here when you need us and able to take your calls after hours and on weekends.  If you feel like you are getting a toothache, we invite you to call us at any time.  When possible, we will fit you in during normal business hours so that it doesn't become an emergency after hours.  Simultaneously, by cleaning your teeth regularly, we can help them to be strong enough to fight off tooth decay and damage.