If you need an emergency dentist, chances are you know it. Tooth infections and accidental impacts occur regularly, though we wish they didn’t. When you are dealing with a traumatic blow to the teeth and mouth or suffering the intense pain of a tooth infection, the only thing you want to know is: “Is there an emergency dentist near me?”
The good news is modern technology has allowed us to make searching in phonebooks and pouring over city maps all-but-obsolete. In order to determine where the closest emergency dentist is located, you can use any search engine to search for emergency dentists in Edmonton. Don’t mistakenly look for dentists accepting new patients as this will muddy your search. Once you’ve located an Edmonton dentist that’s open Sundays, for example, a phone call to the clinic is your next step.
At Family Dental Health, we reserve space each day that allows us to accommodate a dental emergency if one is necessary. You will likely find that this is common to most dentists in south Edmonton, so there is a good chance that a dentist will be able to help. Unfortunately, not all emergencies can be accommodated if they occur within the same timespan, so you may need to see another dentist in Terwillegar if your regular dentist already has an emergency case. If this occurs, don’t worry – you can follow up with your dentist, once the immediate concerns have been addressed, for follow-up care. It might be a little more difficult finding an Edmonton dentist that is open Saturdays, but many dentists open for at least part of Saturday to see the patients who cannot attend through the week.
Do I Really Need an Emergency Appointment?
Patients often hesitate to see an emergency dentist if they think it’s something they can manage on their own until regular hours. Here are some guidelines to help you determine whether you really need to see that dentist who is open Sundays in Edmonton:
Guideline 1: Pain
The reality of dentistry is that if you are experiencing pain that just isn’t going away with anything you’ve tried (typically over-the-counter medications are the first course of action), it’s likely that you have a tooth infection. Tooth infections are dangerous because they typically start inside of a tooth causing pain but can spread throughout the body if untreated. The case if often that a dental cavity has worked its way to the inner core of the tooth and has infected the tissues in the chamber – causing inflammation and pain.
If you suspect that you have a dental infection outside of your dentist’s regular office hours, don’t hesitate to contact an Edmonton dentist who is open weekends or evenings – whatever your need. If your regular clinic is open, it’s a good idea to call and explain your situation in order to get some advice on whether or not you need to be seen right away.
In order to ease the pain of infection until you can see a dentist for treatment, Family Dental Health recommends placing an ice pack on the outside of the cheek in ten-minute increments. Some patients find that sipping on ice water helps to dull the pain in the mouth. If you develop a pustule on the gums, don’t break it open (it may burst on its own).
Guideline 2: Injury
An injury of the mouth that fractures, breaks or chips a tooth should be addressed with your dentist, but may not require an emergency appointment unless the chamber of the tooth has been exposed. A break that does not expose the nerve of the tooth can be seen as soon as your dentist can reasonably accommodate you.
Breaks that expose the nerve of the tooth are painful and must be resolved quickly. Similarly, a tooth that has been knocked out must be seen within 30 minutes in order to have the best chance of being able to be retained. In this case your search terms should be as accurate as possible in order to get you the help you need – fast. Don’t search for a “dentist open weekends in Edmonton” if what you really need is a “dentist open Saturdays in Edmonton”.
Arrive Safely
When an accident occurs or a patient is in serious pain, it can be difficult for them to think about anything else. Pain, adrenaline, and fear often accompany dental emergencies and can result in a secondary incident if a patient attempts to drive themselves to the dentist in a state of panic. For this reason, we encourage emergency patients not to drive to the dentist but to have a chaperone drive them, instead. Alternatively, a driving service like Uber can help to ensure that every patient arrives safely.
