Dental Emergencies and Emergency Dentists

Normal visits to the dentist allow our dentists to do routine procedures. Included in this are teeth cleaning, along with getting a general assessment of our oral health. With these visits, our dentist can identify little issues before they become significant ones.

Sometimes the difficulties come before our next regular consultation. People might sometimes find themselves in situations where they aren’t quite sure whether or not to seek the help of a dentist or go to the emergency room. It is because we aren’t used to the idea of having a dentist available around the clock. Most, if not all dentists in Adelaide, Melbourne, or wherever you may well be in Australia, run like a business. Meaning, they are only open during standard office hours.

Unfortunately, we can never tell when a dental emergency will occur. It could appear during a holiday, or even in the dead of the night. This is why a lot of people wind up going to the hospital, which often is not ideal when it comes to matters of the teeth. Hospital emergency rooms don’t have the capacity to address such conditions.

What qualifies as a dental emergency?

Prior to getting into the topic of how to locate an emergency dentist, it’s imperative to first define what a dental emergency is. Having a severe toothache in the middle of the night, or any time of day for example, qualifies as a dental emergency. A painful toothache could damage productivity at work and won’t let you sleep sleep well at night.

A knocked off tooth is one other sort of a dental emergency. If the area vacated by your tooth bleeds profusely, it’s probably a smart idea to seek help. If the tooth was knocked off by accident, try to find it and bring it with you. If you possibly could get to your dentist quickly enough, they could fix the tooth. Experts recommend immersing the knocked out tooth in milk or a saline solution to preserve the root.

Be smart enough to recognise if your case is an emergency. This is especially true if it takes place during the night. Don’t bother your local dentist in Adelaide if it could wait till the next day.

How could I find an emergency dentist?

Start off by asking your primary dentist. The doctor you have for your regular appointments might just be one and you don’t know it. Ask if he or she is an on-call dentist. If the answer is yes, ask for their number if you don’t already have it. In some cases if you’ve established a close enough relationship with your dentist, he or she will be happy to make a few exceptions. If not, ask for a recommendation. It’s likely that your dentist is part of a dental society of some sort and knows of colleagues who are on-call. Ask if you could get their contact information.

Maurilio Vella is a physician with connections to many a dentist in the Melbourne area. To get more tips on how to find the best dentists, and what type of services they provide, please check out dentist Melbourne.

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