Our team on being available for dental emergencies
If someone has a dental emergency, I always tell patients to call our office immediately. If they call the office, it will send them right to my personal cell number and we can assess the need. Sometimes it is the patient’s not in any pain, but it’s a front tooth and something broke off and they have a space. So it’s an aesthetic emergency. And I realize that that’s important to patients. I’ve been going to church with my family on Christmas Eve when I’ve gotten a call. I’ve sent the family on, taken care of the emergency and then met my family back. So whatever the time, sometimes it’s not just pain. Sometimes it’s not just a sharp area. Sometimes it’s an aesthetic emergency and any of those emergencies are important, and I realize how it affects a person’s daily life.
If we have a person… I’ve had some emergencies with kids where they’re playing sports and a tooth has been knocked out. I tell them to try to get ahold of me as quickly as possible. Some of the things that they can do is, the ideal is to keep it in, just put it in the cheek because it’s bathed by the saliva, and that keeps the tooth in good shape. Some people don’t want to swallow it and that, so if wear contacts and you have any saline solution, that’s an ideal. Others will put it in some milk, but just to keep it moist and get to the dentist as quickly as possible.