Hospital and urgent care centers don’t have dentists on staff. Unless you have a life-threatening condition, we recommend scheduling an appointment with our office. The only thing a physician can do is prescribe pain relievers and antibiotics. Our emergency dentists, on the other hand, will be able to diagnose and treat the root cause of your dental pain.
Continue reading to learn where you need to go in the event of a dental emergency. While we hope you never have to use this information, it’s better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.
When to Go to the Hospital
Go to the hospital if you have a life-threatening condition. For example, a large dental abscess can limit your ability to breathe and swallow. Likewise, you would need to visit the ER after breaking your jaw. Serious medical issues like these are best addressed by hospital staff.
Visit the hospital for these emergencies:
- Fractured jaw
- Dislocated jaw
- Deep cuts to the mouth and face that won’t stop bleeding
- Large dental abscess that makes it difficult to breathe or swallow
Don’t visit an ER or urgent care center for a toothache. These facilities don’t hire dentists and can’t treat the underlying causes of toothaches. Most states ban non-dentists from extracting teeth and performing other dental work. The only thing a medical doctor can do for you is prescribe antibiotics and pain relievers. They’ll then refer you to an emergency dentist.
It actually costs more money to visit the ER first before seeing one of our emergency dentists. Save yourself the hospital bill by calling us first. Our dentists will be able to diagnose and treat the source of your dental pain, restoring oral health.
When to Call Our Emergency Dentists
Our emergency dentists will be able to diagnose the underlying cause of your pain. For example, tooth pain could mean a cavity is deep enough to penetrate the pulp. It could also mean you grind your teeth at night. The only way to know for certain is to request an appointment with one of our emergency dentists.
Visit our dentists for these emergencies:
- Severe tooth pain
- Dental abscess
- Swollen gums
- Loose tooth
- Knocked-out tooth
- Broken tooth or large piece of tooth is missing
- Large chip or crack in tooth
Don’t put off seeing our emergency dentists. The sooner you seek urgent dental care, the sooner we’ll be able to treat issues before they grow. This could mean the difference between you needing a filling and a root canal. We always try to save as much natural tooth structure as possible. Yet, this can be difficult if you wait until the last minute to seek emergency dental care.
Call Family Dentistry
Our office understands that each minute is critical when responding to emergencies. If you’re not sure if you need emergency dental care, call us anyways. We can help walk you through your next steps.
To request an appointment with our emergency dentists in Wyoming, MI, call Family Dentistry at (616) 534-5602.