What Is An Emergency Dentist?
An emergency dentist is a dental professional who is willing and able to treat patients that need immediate attention. An emergency dentist should be able to handle a wide scope of issues that would call for immediate dental attention. There are various situations that could be considered a dental emergency. Typically, these dentists will make themselves available around the clock because these emergencies can happen at any time and they require immediate professional medical attention.
Dental Emergency Definition
You want to have a clear understanding of what qualifies for emergency dental work and what would be something that you could schedule a routine appointment to address. A dental emergency is something that would require immediate attention. These emergencies are much more common than you might assume. In fact, according to the American Family Physician, 22 percent of the general population had experienced orofacial pain in the previous 6 months leading up to the study [1]. Some of the more common dental emergencies can include broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, and more. Knocked-out teeth can actually be saved if you are able to seek emergency treatment within 30 minutes of having it knocked out according to the American Association of Endodontists [2].
What Isn’t A Medical Dental Emergency?
Any dental issue that you have that isn’t causing severe pain is likely not something that needs immediate attention and treatment. If you chipped your tooth or you have a toothache that isn’t causing you to be unable to eat or be in debilitating pain, it is likely something that you can wait to schedule an appointment to address.
What To Look For In The Best Emergency Dentist
When you are attempting to find an emergency dentist, there are several things that you want to try to identify. For one, you want to check to see whether or not they offer 24 hour dental care. Not all emergency dentists will offer around the clock service. However, this is something that you should be prioritizing when finding one. After all, you don’t choose when to have a dental emergency. Likewise, you want to look for a dentist that has a lot of experience handling dental emergencies. Also, one that is willing and able to offer the specific dental treatment you are in need of getting.
How To Avoid Needing Emergency Dental Treatment
Regular Checkups
Luckily, a lot of emergency dentist care can be effectively avoided with the appropriate level of care. By taking your oral hygiene seriously, you should be able to avoid a lot of types of dental emergencies that can crop up. By getting routine visits and checkups, you will be able to ensure that you get various things treated that can otherwise lead to dental emergencies in the future. Your dentist will be able to spot signs of gum disease which could lead to loose teeth. Likewise, they can spot signs of a cavity and take the appropriate measures to treat it before things get worse.
Contact Sports – Wear a Mouth Guard
Also, when you are playing physical activities like contact sports, you should always be wearing a mouthguard. This will help to ensure that you don’t get your teeth knocked out by a ball or another player.
Avoid Eating Certain Things
You will also want to take precautions whenever you are eating something very hard. Ideally, you should avoid eating anything that could cause your tooth to crack like ice and hard candy.
While you should be able to do a lot to prevent many dental emergencies, you can’t plan for everything. Emergency dental care can happen and when they do, you want to be able to rely on a professional and experienced emergency dentist to assist. My Dentist has the experience and attention to detail you need to ensure that you get all of your emergencies handled as best as possible. If you are in need of an emergency dental clinic in Pensacola, you can count on My Dentist to be there for you when you need an emergency dental practice.
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