When you need an emergency dentist in Sherwood Park, Acacia Dental Centre is ready to help. We maintain enough flexibility in our daily schedule to accommodate the possibility of an injured patient. This is our way of planning for things that our patients can’t control. In most cases, we can offer our patients same-day emergency appointments. But what is a dental emergency and how can you determine when it’s time to call it? We’re here to answer your questions.
Where Can I Find an Emergency Dentist?
Whether you are looking for an emergency dental clinic in Sherwood Park or outside of it, using a google search with the search terms: “emergency dentist near me” will return a list of dentists in your area and which are currently open. In order for your phone to locate a dentist near you, it is important to turn on your phone’s location tracking. Although this is not a precise science (online hours can be wrong if clinics don’t update them) this gives you a good place to start calling clinics.
In an emergency such as a knocked-out tooth that needs to be managed within 30 minutes for the tooth’s best chance of survival, you may not have time to get to your regular dentist. You need not worry – your dentist will be happy to follow up with you once the emergency is tended to. If you are looking for a dentist for children, you may need to see a general dentist this time. A general dentist has as much capability to treat children as a family dentist, though they may not advertise it. All that being said, the most important thing is your health and safety, which means that when head injuries occur in conjunction with trauma to the mouth, the head injury should be treated first.
What Makes it a Dental Emergency?
The easiest way to answer this question is blood or pain. Toothaches and tooth pain are notoriously ruthless, so most patients call when the pain is increasing to an uncontrollable level. Aside from pain, bleeding due to lacerations or impact should be seen by a dentist. Broken teeth and cracked teeth are important matters to see your dentist about but unless the break has exposed the inner chamber of the tooth, you should not require an emergency appointment. The bottom line? If you aren’t sure, call your dentist to consult with them and get a recommendation. If you do not require an emergency appointment, you should still make arrangements to have your crack or break tended to at the next available appointment time.
What Should I Do During an Emergency?
A dental emergency is no picnic, and when faced with one it’s easy to panic. When there is a show of blood, it is important to remember that the face and mouth have a large blood supply. What might look like a major trauma could be much less severe after cleaning the wound and inspecting it.
If you or someone you know has taken an impact to the mouth and is bleeding, begin by finding any tooth fragments immediately, if possible. Next, get to a sink to rinse the mouth with clean water and make the injury easier to see. Once you have located the injury, place a rolled-up ‘log’ of clean gauze against the wound and bite down slightly to increase pressure if possible. Call your dental clinic in Sherwood Park or elsewhere to let them know that you have a dental emergency and make arrangements to be seen.
If you have a toothache that is not being relieved by over-the-counter medication, you could be suffering from an oral infection, and this must be taken seriously to protect your overall health from its potential effects. Root canals, teeth extraction, and wisdom teeth removal are all common consequences of a dental infection or otherwise diseased tooth.
Are Dental Emergencies Preventable?
The best prevention against oral infections is a good brushing and flossing routine at home, and regular dental checkups to identify potential concerns early in their development. Waiting until the situation has progressed only makes fixing it worse. When concerns are identified early in the process, your dentist can walk you through what restoration or procedure may be required and what to expect. We recommend that our patients see us twice annually for preventative maintenance and that they brush their teeth at the start and end of the day. Don’t have a dentist? For you, the best dentist in Sherwood Park should be the one that makes you feel at ease, supported, and with whom you can develop a positive rapport. Book a consultation today and let us show you how partnering with Acacia Dental Centre could benefit your family’s overall oral health.
