Emergency or After Hours Dentistry
What Is An Emergency Dentist?
An emergency dentistry specializes in offering emergency oral care. This means that Stonegate Park Dentistry in St. Joseph, MI provides urgent care to patients that otherwise find it difficult to make a same-day appointment with their own dental office. Essentially, it is 24 hours of emergency dental services, 7 days a week.
Perhaps you have severe tooth pain on a weekend or in the middle of the night. Maybe there is an accident during a holiday when all businesses are closed and you are desperately in need of a root canal. This is the perfect occasion and the whole objective of an emergency dentistry.
An emergency dentistry can quickly diagnose and determine the gravity of the situation and treat you according to your emergency needs and in a prompt manner. There are just times in life when dental care is immediately needed, and in these times an emergency dentist is who you need to call.
What Does Emergency Dentistry Treat?
Emergency dental care is needed for any incident involving your mouth which requires immediate medical attention. The most common problems are severe pain and uncontrollable bleeding. If a tooth has been knocked out or simply knocked loose, it is considered an emergency. Severe infections can lead to an abscess and cause considerable pain and swelling and possibly be life-threatening. If this occurs, you should immediately call a 24-hour emergency dentist near you.
Some of the reasons why patients seek emergency dentists include:
- Cracked Teeth
- Broken Teeth
- Abscessed Teeth
- Loose Teeth
- Severe Tooth Pain
- Knocked Out Teeth
Many of these problems can’t wait, which is why it’s critical to contact an emergency dentist as soon as they happen, day or night, weekday or weekend. Many emergency practices are open 24/7, and if they don’t have a dentist immediately available, they will do their best to see you within 24 hours. They will also give you instructions to maintain your oral health until you can see an emergency dentist.
When Should You Visit an Emergency Dentistry?
Most minor cracks and chips are not serious and do not merit a visit to an emergency dental clinic. In that case, simply make an appointment within the week with a cosmetic dentist. But if a tooth cracks or breaks and you can see yellow dentin or red exposed pulp and it is accompanied by severe pain or bleeding, then it should be treated as an emergency. Call your emergency dentistry in St. Joseph immediately.
Things to remember in case you break or chip your tooth:
- Rinse your mouth out with warm water
- Apply pressure to stop any bleeding
- Preserve your broken tooth in milk, saline solution, water, or your own saliva
- Apply a cold compress to reduce pain and swelling
- Take an over-the-counter painkiller
- See an emergency dentist as soon as possible
Dental treatments for broken or chipped teeth vary from case to case, and your dentist will discuss the options available in your situation. The best possible thing you or anyone can do for the well-being of a broken tooth is to see an emergency dentist.
What Happens in an Emergency Dentistry Appointment?
Before anything can be done, your dentist needs to determine what the problem is. The dentist will look for worrying signs such as gum inflammation, infection, and exposed nerves. They will then examine for any damage to wisdom teeth, lost or loose crowns, and any broken teeth that have rough edges.
Pain will be treated, as well as swelling and treatment of facial trauma that is affecting the teeth. But that doesn’t mean the problem can be completely fixed in one appointment. Mending the underlying problem may take an additional visit. However, an emergency dentistry can provide a temporary solution to buy you more time.
Stonegate Park Dentistry Can Help With Your Dental Emergency
Here at Stonegate Park Dentistry, we offer emergency services to patients who need urgent dental treatment. Call us at (269) 428-2875 to tell us about your dental emergency or send us an email to learn more about our hours for emergency treatment. You can learn more about our practice by checking our business page, and make sure to get directions before heading our way.