Reasons for Seeing an Emergency Dentist Instead of an ER Doctor

If your loved one has just rushed you to Advantage Dental Care for a dental emergency, you likely wonder why they did not take you to the emergency room (ER) instead. Your little knowledge convinces you that all medical issues, including dental emergencies, can be tackled in the ER. You are not alone. Thousands of people have also made the same mistake only for their doctor to refer them to a dentist for emergency dental care in Springfield.

Below are reasons for doing so:

1. ER charges higher costs for dental exams

Like most people, you have probably shunned the idea of going for regular checkups due to financial issues. As this keeps happening, you risk developing dental complications because there is no way of telling if you are orally healthy. Worse, if you work for an organization that does not award its employees dental benefits, you will avoid dental visits altogether.

While having a set of white teeth that are not painful might be a sign of good oral health, there is still more reason to go for preventative dental care. Otherwise, if you develop any problem and rush to the ER, you will spend more on your problem-focused visit than you would in preventive care. In the long run, you realize that your one-time visit to the ER is more expensive.

2. Dentistry only works under a qualified dentist

Imagine walking to the ER only for the receptionist to tell you that your primary care physician is the one who will attend to your needs. As relieving as this may sound, your primary care doctor does not have the training and experience to handle your dental emergency. The least they can do is prescribe antibiotics and painkillers. Worse still, you will hardly find a dentist working in an ER. This can be catastrophic, mainly if your tooth problem is deeply rooted. Save yourself the trouble of double-guessing your situation by scheduling an appointment with an emergency dentist.

When to start with the ER before seeing an emergency dental specialist

If you have had an accident that has resulted in an injury to your face, the first place you should visit is the ER. Perhaps you have had an untreated infection for several months, and the only way to determine if you will feel better is to get help from the right specialist.

The first thing an ER doctor does is administer first aid on your face to address any injury. After that, they can refer you to an emergency dentist to examine the severity of your oral injury and hopefully administer the correct treatment. Essentially, the regular ER and dental emergency department go hand-in-hand. So whichever place you start with, keep hoping that help will be on your way.

Do you have a dental emergency?

Now that you know the difference between the ER and dental emergency care, it is also vital to link up with the right specialist. Fortunately for you, most dentists at the moment are ready to specify if they deal with emergency care or not. To learn more about emergency dental care, schedule an online appointment with your dentist today.