When selecting an emergency dentist, there are several things to consider. It is important to select the right dentist in order to make the process of recovering from a dental accident or infection much easier.
By the time a dental emergency happens, it is usually too late to spend time looking for a dentist online or asking a friend for referrals.
While the emergency room can treat other wounds and injuries, it does not have the tools, equipment or the staff ready to handle dental emergencies. When the unexpected happens, it often happens at an inconvenient time. One of those unexpected events could be a dental injury. A broken tooth or lost filling is never planned, and it doesn’t always happen during your dentist’s office hours.
These things happen all the time, which is why emergency dentists are often on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
With that in mind, we recommend choosing an emergency dentist before it is necessary. Here are some tips to make it easier to find one:
- Look in your area
In a dental emergency, no one wants to drive an hour to find a dentist. It is important to visit an emergency dentist within 20 or 30 minutes from the places that a family visits most often. This way, you do not have to travel a long distance in case you face an emergency situation. If a patient has to drive far in an emergency situation, it can only increase stress and anxiety levels.
- Find one who accepts your dental insurance plan
Ask a dentist if they accept the family dental insurance. If they do not, it is good to know this prior to visiting them in an emergency. The insurance provider can also give a list of dentists who accept the plan and are open to treating patients on an emergency basis.
- Inquire about their hours
An emergency dentist is one who is available at night, on weekends and on holidays. Find out what hours an emergency dentist is open. If there is a concern that a dental emergency may happen in the evening or weekends due to an event , it is wise to find a dentist who is open during those times. Otherwise, finding a dentist who accepts patients on an emergency basis is good.
- Find out what services they provide
Ask a dentist what services they offer. An emergency dentist Rockville Md who treats patients on an emergency basis and also handles dental restorations will make life far easier. If that same dentist practices cosmetic dentistry and can restore the tooth using multiple solutions, there will be no need to have the rest of the dental work completed somewhere else.
- Ask what ages they treat
Find out what ages a dentist treats before a dental emergency strikes. Make a point to inquire about the age range a dentist cares for so that when an emergency strikes, your family heads in the right direction.
