Dental emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere. Whether you chipped a tooth while on vacation or had a crown come off on a Saturday morning at home, you don’t add the stress of wondering how to pay for the dental visit to an already difficult situation.
What Qualifies as a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is one that usually comes on suddenly or quickly worsens. The most common dental emergencies are:
- Bitten Tongue or Lip
- Object Stuck in Your Teeth
- Toothache
- Chipped Tooth
- Tooth that has been knocked out
Experiencing a tongue bite or having something stuck in your teeth is not always an emergency. It becomes one if there is serious bleeding or if there is pain that does not lessen or stop quickly. For the other three situations, a toothache, chipped tooth or a missing tooth… these are cause for serious concern and you do need to see a dentist as soon as possible.
Pain is your best indicator of whether the situation is an emergency. If you’re feeling pain, and it is not going away, call your dentist.
Be Prepared
While you can’t schedule an emergency, you can be prepared for one. Start by having your dental office’s phone number stored in your phone. With this information at your fingertips, you can address the issue faster.
Also, know your insurance coverage, especially if you are on vacation. Some insurance companies require that you get preauthorization or see someone within their network. Others do not have these requirements. You don’t want to wait until you are in the midst of an emergency to learn about your coverage, so take a few minutes to do this.
Insurance Coverage
While every plan is different, many dental insurance plans have coverage to address emergencies. If you are out of town, some plans will require that you see an in-network dentist. While the plan may not cover all of your emergency care, it can reduce you out-of-pocket costs.
At Petrone Family Dentistry, we provide the best possible care to our patients, and offering same day emergency dental care is just one of the ways we do this. Whether you’re already a patient or simply need an emergency visit, contact our office, and we will do our best to address the issue and get you back to your life.