Don’t Visit the Emergency Room for Dental Care!
Visit the dentist regularly and prevent emergencies from happening in the first place
The total number of dental-related emergency room visits nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010, from 1.1 million to 2.1 million visits, according to the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Various factors are at work in this trend, including Medicaid cuts and the lack of access to dental care in certain underserved regions of the country. A recent report from Rutgers University showed that young adults between 19 and 34 are the demographic most likely to show up in the emergency room wanting treatment for dental pain and infection. Young adults in low-income areas are particularly likely to skip the dentist and head straight to the emergency room. Many patients end up visiting the ER repeatedly for pain relief because they never get the dental treatment they need. Policy makers are considering possible steps to reduce the number of non-trauma-related dental care visits to emergency rooms. Meanwhile, here are 3 reasons why you should visit the dentist instead of the emergency room for relief from dental pain.
Only dentists provide dental care.
If you go to the emergency room with severe dental pain, the staff there can give you something for the pain but they can’t actually solve the root cause of your problem. Only a dentist is qualified to treat severe tooth and gum pain and keep it from returning through root canals, fillings, and other procedures.
It’s usually cheaper out of pocket
Cost is definitely a factor for young people seeking dental care. You might not think you can afford the dentist, but a visit to the ER could wind up costing even more, especially if you turn out to be ineligible for the various state and federal benefits that typically pick up the tab for low-income people’s ER care.
Dentists can prevent future problems
When you have tooth or gum pain, it’s important to have an experienced professional examine your mouth so that all of your dental problems can be addressed. For example, you might have a severely decayed tooth that is throbbing night and day. If you visit the ER, they can give you some pain medication for the tooth, but they won’t know what else to do. If you visit the dentist, you can not only get relief from your pain but also a thorough exam that can identify any additional cavities you may have, even if they have not yet begun to cause you pain. This way, you can get all of your cavities filled at once to solve the current problem and prevent future ones.
