When Is Urgent Dental Care Available?
Urgent dental care and emergency dental care are available during Dean Dental Solutions regular office hours.
If you need urgent or emergency dental care, please call our offices immediately so we can prepare for your arrival (get equipment ready, rearrange the schedule, etc.).
What Is Considered a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is any kind of situation that requires urgent dental care. In other words, it’s something that can’t wait for a regularly scheduled visit.
Common situations and causes for emergency dental care are:
A chipped or broken tooth
The sudden loss of a tooth (tooth getting knocked out)
Sudden swelling of the gums, tongue, or mouth
Unexpected or unexplained bleeding in the mouth
A foreign body (e.g. food) lodged in the mouth or gum line
Sudden, extreme pain in the teeth or mouth
What Should I Expect From Urgent Dental Care?
Like any kind of medical urgent care, dental urgent care starts with a clinical assessment—the doctor will examine your mouth, teeth, and gums to get a clear understanding of your situation.
Once the assessment is complete the dentist will make an official diagnosis, before prescribing a recommended course of action (medication, procedures, etc.).
What Should I Do if I’m Not Sure I’m Having a Dental Emergency?
If you’re not sure your situation should be considered a “dental emergency”, call Dean Dental Solutions directly at 501-771-2911. A member of our staff will assess your situation over the phone, and help you determine whether or not you should come into the office for emergency treatment.
What Should I Do if a Tooth Is Knocked Out?
Sudden tooth loss (i.e. getting a tooth knocked out) is one of the most common causes for a dental emergency—it is particularly common for young people (kids to young adults) who live an active or sporting lifestyle.
If your tooth is knocked out, the first thing you should do is attempt to save the tooth by preserving it in a glass of full-fat milk. Full-fat milk has a number of minerals and natural preservatives that will help keep the tooth alive until you can get to a dentist. Having said that, the window to save a tooth is narrow, so if your tooth is knocked out, get it in a glass of milk and get to the dentist’s office ASAP.
Once you’ve arrived at the dentist’s office, the doctor will assess your mouth and the condition of the tooth. If the trauma in your mouth is manageable (and if the tooth is still alive), the dentist will try to reimplant the tooth in your mouth.
If the tooth cannot be reimplanted, the dentist will talk to you about your options for replacement, including an artificial implant.
Do I Need an Emergency Dental Crown?
A chipped tooth, cracked filling, or loose dental crown can be a source of pain and discomfort—if any of these things have happened to you recently, you may require an emergency dental crown.
Not sure if you need an emergency crown?—call us! A member of our staff will talk to you about your situation and your discomfort level before making a recommendation.
Should I Go to the Hospital for Emergency Dental Care?
Unplanned trips to the hospital (i.e. the emergency room) generally come with a hefty price tag. More importantly, the typical hospital doesn’t have a dedicated dentist or dental health expert.
For those reasons, the professionals at Dean Dental Solution recommend avoiding the hospital for dental emergencies unless there’s no other option, or the dental emergency is coupled with a general medical emergency (e.g. you lost consciousness unexpectedly, hit the floor, and lost a tooth—in this situation, you should go to the hospital before reaching out to a dentist).
How Much Does Emergency Dental Care Cost?
The costs associated with emergency dental care vary depending on a number of circumstances including the severity of ailment, the number of teeth requiring treatment, and your dental insurance. If you’d like to get an estimate of what Dean Dental Solutions charges for basic emergency dentistry services (root canals, tooth extractions, etc.), please call 501-771-2911.
How Long WIll I Wait for Urgent Dental Care?
Like any healthcare facility, Dean Dental Solutions assesses each emergency on a case-by-case basis, with the patients in most dire need of care getting treated first. Therefore, it’s not easy to say how long you may wait when you come to our offices for emergency care.
If your situation is deemed the most serious, you can expect to be treated right away. If your situation does not warrant immediate treatment, our staff will likely provide you with some medication to help you manage your pain and discomfort while you wait to see the doctor.
