Reasons to visit emergency dental care instead of ER
What to Expect During Your Visit
When you visit us for emergency dental care in Nashua, NH, our team will ensure that you receive immediate attention and effective treatment. Here’s what you can expect:
1. Initial Check-In & Assessment
Once you arrive, you'll be greeted by our friendly staff who will guide you through the check-in process. We’ll assess the severity of your situation, gather your medical history, and ask about your symptoms to understand the emergency you’re experiencing. It’s important that we understand any pain or discomfort you're facing so we can address it promptly.
2. Comprehensive Exam & Digital X-Rays
For most dental emergencies, we’ll perform a thorough examination of your mouth to determine the cause of the issue. We may take digital X-rays to get a clearer view of your teeth, gums, and surrounding structures. This helps us diagnose the problem accurately and determine the best course of action.
3. Immediate Treatment Plan
Based on the examination and X-ray results, our dentist will explain the issue and outline the most effective treatment options for your dental emergency. Whether it’s a toothache, broken tooth, or something more serious, we’ll discuss how we can provide immediate relief and the necessary steps to restore your oral health.
4. Pain Relief and Management
If you’re experiencing severe pain, we’ll prioritize pain relief and provide treatments to manage discomfort while we work on resolving the issue. This could include administering a local anesthetic, providing over-the-counter pain medications, or using other pain management techniques to ensure you’re comfortable throughout the procedure.
5. Treatment Execution
Once the treatment plan is explained and agreed upon, we’ll begin addressing the issue. This could involve a variety of procedures such as:
- Filling cavities for an emergency toothache
- Reattaching a lost crown or filling
- Treating abscesses with drainage and antibiotics
- Performing tooth extractions or root canals for more severe cases
Our goal is to resolve your dental emergency quickly and effectively to reduce pain and prevent further complications.
Visiting an emergency dental care facility can be more effective than an ER for dental issues due to specialized dental expertise, potential cost savings, and typically quicker service. Most dental emergencies require the specific knowledge of a dentist to ensure proper care and rapid relief.
Insurance Coverage for Emergency Dental Care
Many dental insurance plans provide coverage for emergency care, which can significantly reduce the cost of treatment. It’s important to verify the specifics of your insurance coverage to understand what types of emergencies are covered and to what extent.
Definition of Dental Emergency Terminology
- Abscess: A painful infection at the root of a tooth or between the gum and a tooth.
- Avulsion: The complete displacement of a tooth from its socket due to trauma.
- Cellulitis: A bacterial infection characterized by swollen, red, tender areas of the mouth.
- Pulpitis: Inflammation of the dental pulp causing severe toothache.
- Periodontitis: Serious gum infection that damages gums and can destroy the jawbone.
- Dry Socket: A painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction when a blood clot fails to form.
- Pericoronitis: Inflammation of the gum tissue around the wisdom teeth.
- Gingivitis: Mild gum disease that involves red, swollen gum tissues.
- Osteomyelitis: An infection in the bone that surrounds the tooth.
- Endodontic: Pertaining to treatment of the dental pulp or root of the tooth.