If you’ve ever experienced tooth pain, you know how crippling it can be. However, the process of finding proper and prompt treatment is as painless as you choose. It is important to know the easy way to find a dentist, as you will be concerned with the fastest method when tooth pain hits you.
What do I need to know to find the right provider?
There are a wide variety of issues that your dentist can handle quickly and efficiently right in their office. However, if you don’t already have a dentist, you’re going to want to find one very soon. This is not only for emergency reference, but for preventative care as well. Your teeth are important to your health and taking care of problems before they arise is far more beneficial than having to make an emergency appointment.
A simple set of questions to ask yourself in order to figure out what types of tooth pain your dentist can handle in the office is as follows:
- Is the pain from a broken tooth?
- Is there a swollen spot on your gum line near the pain?
- Does the pain come and go when you are eating?
- Is the pain worse when drinking hot or cold liquids?
- Have you been in an accident?
These questions all affect the procedure your dentist will need to follow. They also help to determine where you need to go, as some emergencies require an oral surgeon, rather than a dentist. While many people seem to lump both oral surgeons and dentists in the same category when speaking, they are entirely different providers and can handle a different range of procedures.
What can a dentist help with?
A dentist will be able to handle several emergencies involving tooth pain, such as lost fillings, lost crowns, cavities, chipped teeth, teeth broken above the gum line, and several more. They are also able to take care of preventative procedures that will help to keep you out of harms way in the future, such as fluoride treatments, cleaning, and administration of antibiotics for periodontal abscesses.
What will an oral surgeon be needed for?
More serious emergencies often require the services of an oral surgeon. Your dentist will be able to provide a referral to these specialists for a variety of procedures such as those required for teeth broken below the gum line, abscesses within a tooth or within the bone itself, severe damage due to accidents such as vehicle collisions, and more.
By asking yourself the basic questions we listed above, you can make the process of finding the right provider quick and painless, even though your emergency may not be painless overall. It is important to know what caused the pain, where the pain is located, and whether or not your dentist will be able to handle the emergency in their office when you call. Once you’ve determined the severity of the situation, you will have a much easier path to recovery and be well on your way to a healthier, pain-free mouth.