Finding an emergency dentist near me

Finding an emergency dentist near me

Searching for emergency dentists near you can be a hard thing in a hurry, so we’ll discuss how to know if your tooth problem is an emergency and how best to find a dentist in an emergency so you can avoid the hassle.

Reasons for needing an emergency dental appointment

Dental emergencies can be prevented to an extent by maintaining good oral hygiene, wearing mouthguards during sports and taking precautions against grinding. However, in some cases, accidents happen, and emergencies arise that cannot otherwise be prevented, and require immediate care to prevent the issue from getting worse, developing into a more serious complication and to relieve pain.

Dental emergencies can vary, but usually involve:

• Sudden, severe toothache that won’t be relieved by painkillers.
• Missing, broken or fractured teeth due to trauma to the mouth.
• Swelling of the gums, sometimes with a fever.
• Pus or weeping of the gums indicates a tooth infection (dental abscess).
• Bleeding from the mouth with no sign of stopping.
• Broken braces, wires or other dental items that may cause injury or further damage.
• Long-lasting pain or swelling that doesn’t improve within a few days.

If you’re in extreme pain around your mouth, gums, or jaw, you should call a dentist to be triaged over the phone and assess whether you may need an emergency appointment. Any more obvious symptoms necessitate an emergency dental appointment, so try to make one as soon as possible to prevent the issue from worsening.

Can you treat a toothache yourself?

Many kinds of toothache will dissipate after a short time or ease after taking painkillers. However, if you have a severe or intense toothache that won’t go away, you should make an emergency dentist appointment as soon as possible. Even if your toothache isn’t agonising but lasts for more than a few days, this is a sign of a wider issue that needs to be addressed by a dentist before it becomes worse.

Essentially, any toothache that significantly impacts your daily life needs to be seen to by a dentist – getting an appointment may not be as quick as you would like, so it’s useful to manage your symptoms yourself as best you can until you can see your dentist.

The best thing to do for your toothache is to keep your mouth clean; keep brushing twice a day, flossing between your teeth to remove bacteria and food particles and rinsing with mouthwash or a saltwater solution to remove bacteria from your gums, tongue, roof and walls of your mouth.

To relieve pain, you should take painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen, but you can also try things such as cloves and peppermint tea bags to use their numbing properties on your teeth to relieve pain until your emergency dental appointment.

Finding an emergency dentist

Finding an emergency dentist in a hurry can be easy, depending on where you live. In cities, there are usually a few local dentists open for emergency appointments during the day and outside of normal working hours that you can call on for appointments. However, further into the country, it gets harder to find an emergency dentist near you.

Your best option to find a close emergency dentist is to call the dentist you’re registered with to either make an emergency appointment or listen to their voicemail message, which usually includes information on where you can go in an out-of-hours emergency.

If you’re not registered with a dentist, you can call 111 for more information on services in your area. However, the simplest solution is to Google search “emergency dentist near me” to find the closest practices that are open at the time you need it. Despite toothache and breaking teeth feeling like a catastrophic emergency at times, you should avoid going to A&E or calling 999 unless your symptoms are life-threatening, such as heavy, uncontrollable bleeding or swelling that is making it difficult to breathe, speak or swallow.

Emergency dental appointments are available on the NHS and privately; which you choose depends on several factors.

NHS or private emergency dental care?

You can receive emergency dental care on the NHS for just £25.80 for the appointment; however, any care you may need afterwards will be charged according to the standard NHS dental costs per band. This may seem appealing, yet getting a timely appointment for emergency dentistry on the NHS is increasingly harder to come by, with some people waiting well over 24 hours to be seen.

Dental issues can easily become worse or develop into more serious conditions when left untreated, so seeing a dentist quickly is crucial to relieve pain and treat the condition. Private dental practices are more expensive, but well-worth the cost when you consider that you can get appointments at times that suit you, lengthy appointments so all of your needs can be met, and state of the art equipment to help resolve any issues.

What can an emergency dentist do?

Emergency dentists can perform many different procedures depending on the needs of the patient, so when attending your emergency dental appointment, they will:

• Ask you about how your symptoms developed.
• Examine your mouth.
• Take an X-ray if needed.

Once the cause of the problem has been established, the dentist will discuss possible necessary next steps to treat your tooth problem, which can include:

• Performing root canals or draining abscesses.
• Fixing broken or chipped teeth.
• Treating missing teeth, e.g. with stitches or gauze.
• Replacing broken or loose dental bridges, crowns and fillings.
• Prescribing antibiotics.
• Extracting teeth.

The main aim of emergency dentistry is to relieve the symptoms of the current problem and prevent it from getting worse, so even if you may need a tooth extraction at some point, it may not be done during your emergency appointment if it’s not necessary or advisable. For example, if you have an infected wisdom tooth, the infection may need treatment for the swelling to go down before the tooth can be safely extracted to allow for proper healing of the area.

Your dentist will discuss your treatment plan with you to make arrangements for future appointments, help you manage your symptoms at home, or to proceed immediately with a procedure, as necessary.

How much does an emergency dentist cost?

Emergency dentistry can be expensive, so it’s always advisable to keep good care of your dental hygiene and regularly see your dentist when any issue arises, as well as twice yearly to prevent dental emergencies as much as possible.

The costs for emergency dental treatments in the UK can vary depending on various factors such as the dentist’s location, the severity of the dental issue, and the specific treatment required. You can expect to pay between £50 and £50,0 depending on the specific circumstances, so it’s important to discuss costs with your dentist first, so you aren’t in for a shock after your procedure.

Bridges and crowns are procedures for fixing missing teeth and covering broken or damaged teeth, and can be done in emergency appointments if necessary. They’re usually reserved for routine appointments depending on the nee,d and can cost anywhere from £300 to £2000, although dental bridges are often the more expensive of the two. The price can differ significantly due to the materials used and the complexity of the procedure, due to the state of the neighbouring or problematic teeth.

Dental implant costs in the UK are usually higher than other dental procedures due to their complexity. On average, a single dental implant can cost anywhere from £1000 to £3000 or more. Dental implants, however, are rarely performed in emergency appointments as the patient and dentist need to discuss the necessity of the procedure and the cost implications.

These figures are rough estimates, and actual costs may vary, so speak with your dentist before your appointment.

Need an emergency dentist? Contact the Eye and Dental Clinic

If you need to see an emergency dentist or arrange a check-up, contact the Eye and Dental Clinic today! With our expert eye care and dentistry team, we have a wide range of services on offer to help you with your health.

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