How To Find Emergency Dentist in Michigan

Believe it or not, emergency dentistry, although advanced, is still scarce across the nation. In rural areas of Michigan, it might be hard to find a dentist who will assist you in cases that require immediate attention, such as a physical injury to a tooth, severe inflammation, or abscess. While many general dental practices will be able to help you in emergency situations, not all dentists have convenient hours of operation or availability to see you in a timely manner to address your issue.

There are a number of ways you can find emergency dental care in Michigan. Let’s take a quick look into our state’s emergency dental care:

What are Dental Emergencies?

While we might have a pretty clear idea of what a medical emergency is, often something unsuspecting or without warning wrecks havoc in our lives, and we suddenly find ourselves in the emergency department of a local hospital. Similarly, you might know what constitutes a dental emergency, but when it happens, you start questioning whether or not your case can wait until morning or even a few days. Not all patients are aware that specific dental emergencies can be life-threatening, and even fewer know that those can be treated at your emergency dentist rather than your local Emergency Department.

Dental emergencies can happen for various reasons, but when they do, they can potentially endanger your life. We talk about a dental emergency when the case involves your teeth, jaw, mouth, or even facial bones. When you find yourself in a situation where you require immediate dental care, proceed as you would with the standard medical emergency – find an emergency dentist in Michigan as soon as possible. At Kelly Road Dental, we are skilled in treating urgent dental problems.

Wondering what is considered a dental emergency? Here are the big B’s that will help guide you through:

• Bleeding – while some bleeding in your mouth can happen for a variety of reasons and can be expected, uncontrollable bleeding is a sign of something more severe happening inside or around your mouth.
• Broken bones in your face – any injury to your face or other trauma that affects the bones of your jaw and face is cause for concern and should be treated right away. There is a chance that the injury will affect your breathing.
• Breathing Obstruction – if your trauma or any infection within your mouth interferes with normal breathing, seek immediate dental care.

Urgent Dental Care in Michigan

While some practitioners will put urgent cases in the same category as dental emergencies, for the sake of your understanding, we will distinguish between urgent dental care and emergency dental care. Keep in mind, however, that the situations described below might quickly turn into emergencies or will require immediate attention from your dentist.

We will consider urgent dental care where there is no immediate threat to your well-being or your life. However, if you were to “wait it out” and delay the treatment, you might expect severe consequences and further complications.

Here are urgent dental situations that require prompt dental assistance:

• Any type of pain in the mouth area – toothache, facial pain, jaw pain are all indications that you need to see a dentist as soon as possible. Pain that is disrupting your daily life and sleep and is more than typical discomfort or temporary sensitivity tells you something is happening that needs a dentist’s attention. Pain caused by these conditions should not be delayed:
  • Wisdom teeth pain
  • Broken crowns, bridges, or fillings
  • Chipped or cracked tooth
  • Broken or loose tooth
• Swelling and/or abscess – might indicate severe infection and needs to be addressed promptly.
• Pus or discharge from the mouth also indicates bacterial infection and needs to be treated in a timely manner
• Facial injury – trauma to your face and inside your mouth can cause serious damage, even if visibly unnoticeable. A knocked-out tooth should always be treated as an emergency and preserved for possible reinsertion into the socket.
• Broken dentures and other dental appliances
• Pre-surgical patients that require comprehensive examination before qualifying for specific procedures
• Post-surgical patients needing after-care, such as suture removal, dry socket treatments, or dressing changes
• Orthodontic treatment complications, such as bleeding or ulcers from damaged orthodontic appliance

How To Find an Emergency Dentist in Michigan?

Michigan scores slightly above the national average in access to oral care among both adults and pediatric patients. However, dental emergencies happen all the time and are always in demand, but the supply is quite low, not only in Michigan but also across the entire country. That is because many dental practices have limited staff and hours of operation. So, how do we find an emergency dentist in Michigan?

A quick Google search using appropriate keywords, such as your city plus state plus the inquiry, should return the desired results. For instance, if you live in Roseville, MI, or the surrounding area, and you are looking for an emergency dentist to address your dental concerns, you would type in the Google search engine the following keywords: emergency dentist + Roseville + Michigan. The first few will have a tiny “AD” symbol, meaning the websites have paid Google to position them in the first few spots on the first page. Below you will find Google maps, and those are the dental practices that are typically worthwhile – they have a legitimate reputation in Google algorithm, and they earned the trust of the community to be placed on top. You can read the reviews that former and existing patients have left.

There are other ways to look for an emergency dentist in Michigan, especially if you are looking for an in-network provider. In that case, your best bet is to call your dental insurance and ask for a list of dentists within your area who will honor your insurance. You might also utilize online tools and websites that have directories based on location and specialty.

Kelly Road Dental – Your Emergency Dentist in Michigan

We have earned the trust and confidence of our patients, and our raving reviews prove that Kelly Road Dental and Doctor Van de Vyver are not merely your general dental practice but a home you can call your own. We are known for our compassionate, friendly, and pain-free approach to dentistry and dental treatments. Our professional dentist, Dr. Van de Vyver, is the artist with the right tools and skills to provide the dental care you need and deserve. If you are in pain or discomfort because of your oral health, call our office right away to schedule an appointment. We can help.