Dental emergencies are handled by an emergency dentist. A dental emergency is defined as a situation involving severe pain or tooth damage. It is a dental emergency, for example, if a tooth requires immediate extraction or if a filling or crown becomes loose and causes pain. It is not a dental emergency if a person needs his teeth professionally cleaned or has a cavity that needs to be filled but is not painful. Most emergency dentists are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to handle dental emergencies whenever they arise, though availability is often determined by a patient’s location.
An emergency dentist is usually called in when there is a lot of pain and damage. Extreme tooth decay, an abscessed or infected tooth, or a shattered tooth are examples of such urgent situations. Emergency dentists frequently perform extractions or fill cavities if the tooth can be saved. These dentists may also treat swollen, painful gums caused by infection or disease. The dentist’s decision to prescribe or provide medication, such as pain relievers or antibiotics, is based on the individual circumstances of each patient and the dentist’s policy.
Some dental emergencies are more complicated than a filling or extraction. An emergency dentist, for example, may be required to perform an emergency root canal. If the patient is in pain, he may replace a missing crown or apply a temporary crown until the patient can schedule an appointment for a permanent replacement. Similarly, if a tooth cracks but does not break or fall out, an emergency dentist may be able to stabilize it until the patient’s regular dentist can repair it. People who have lost teeth due to accidents or other injuries can seek reimplantation from emergency dentists.
Emergency dentists typically provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week due to the nature of their profession. This means the office is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. As a result, a patient who wakes up at three a.m. with a severe toothache can seek emergency dental care right away rather than waiting until business hours to schedule an appointment.
Unfortunately, emergency dentists are not available in every community. In general, big cities have one or more emergency dentists, whereas smaller towns and rural areas have dentists who work regular hours. Some patients will have to travel an hour or more to find an emergency dentist, while others will have to wait until their regular dentist reopens.