Why an Emergency Dentist is a Better Option Than the ER

People rarely consider an emergency dentist. We have found that among our own patients, over 95% of them never considered that they would need any kind of urgent medical care. When you factor in the fact that the care we are talking about involves the teeth, that number grows even higher. We live in a society that has an aura of infallibility, which leads many people to forego planning for emergency situations. As long as nothing is wrong, there is really no reason to plan.

Additionally, there is such a large number of easily accessible emergency rooms that patients do not worry that they will not find the care they need for their teeth in an urgent situation. In addition to this, many people consider their dental health and oral hygiene routines to be very thorough, which augments the belief that they will never need any kind of emergency dentist to help them. Unfortunately, accidents and things like gum disease are not predictable and may not be stopped with your regular routine. Tooth pain is some of the most severe, and most debilitating, you can experience. Toothaches also tend to happen at some of the most inappropriate moments, like in the middle of the night. At times like that it would be helpful to have our phone number in your contact list, or if you might have to find your way into the local emergency room for treatment.

Seeking emergency dentist services in an emergency room might seem like a good idea at the time. Emergency rooms are designed to be a one-stop-shop for all kinds of medical emergencies and are often the first place a person thinks of going. A recent study conducted by the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality confirmed that this is a growing trend. The study, which was conducted in 24 states over a three-year period, found that the number of people visiting an emergency room for dental care had increased by over 16% during that period. It also found that of the patients waiting for dental care, 20% were repeat patients who had already been seen for the same symptoms. This is because an emergency room is not the best place to get urgent care for your teeth. The physicians in an emergency room are not trained to be an emergency dentist. As such they can, and will, treat your symptoms by giving you pain medication or stopping any bleeding you might have from a lost tooth. They cannot, however, diagnose or treat any underlying causes that could be making you uncomfortable. As a result, if your issue isn’t a surface level one, you will still need to get treated by a dentist as some point.

Frequently, people come in to see us because they have a toothache. A toothache is nothing to take for granted. They can be some of the most debilitating discomfort you can experience and even more seriously can be a symptom of a deeper problem with your gums or root, which should be checked out immediately.  As an emergency dentist office, we can treat you right away so that you don't have to wait for Monday or head to the ER.  This way, you can get back to good health faster.