Helping Patients Find Weekend Emergency Dentists near Santa Monica, CA

When Would I Need a Dental Professional Who Is Open on Saturdays or Sundays Near Me?

If you’re in pain that won’t go away or is getting worse, you may be experiencing a dental emergency. These emergencies often happen at inconvenient times, and waiting until the weekend is over, or even several days or weeks down the line, to see the dentist simply isn’t rational. Dental urgencies typically require immediate treatment to lessen the pain, restore your mouth to working condition, and prevent any further injury or harm.

However, sometimes an emergency will occur when your dentist’s office isn’t open or able to schedule an appointment for some time. There are also instances when you may be visiting family out of town or traveling for work, rendering you unable to get to your usual dentist and unfamiliar with the dental offices near you or which are open during the weekend.

Why Can’t I Wait Until My Usual Dentistry Can See Me?

Unfortunately, many dentist offices are not open on the weekend or have limited hours. When faced with a dental emergency, it’s not always during the times your dentist can see you, and often, the injury or damage requires immediate attention.

Your pain and/or other symptoms may be worsening with time or simply unmanageable. You may also be taking care of a child or an elderly family member who’s dealing with an urgent tooth issue, in which case seeking a dentist is the first-line course of action.

Additionally, some oral emergencies have the potential to sustain further damage or lead to infection, as well as the possibility of permanently losing a tooth. Some mouth infections also put you at risk of harmful bacteria spreading to the rest of the body if they enter your bloodstream. It’s always a wise precaution to seek the help of an emergency dentist sooner rather than later so your condition doesn’t exacerbate.

What Are Examples of an Urgent Dental Crisis?

It can be hard to always know when to go in to see the dentist or not, as some mouth problems will disappear soon after they begin. Generally, if you don’t have an obvious issue like an injury or something broken but you’re still experiencing constant or excruciating pain, there’s a good chance you will still need to quickly check in with a dental professional.

Here are a few instances that may warrant a visit to an emergency dentist's office:

• Severe toothache: Some toothaches will subside fairly quickly but if the pain is excruciating, you may be suffering from tooth decay or an infection. The pain will likely not dissipate, nor will the problem be resolved until you seek the help of an emergency dentist.
• Impaired braces: Sometimes, your or your child’s braces can become loose or even break. Misaligned or bent wires can poke and scrape the inside of your mouth, causing discomfort and potentially abrasions. To swiftly correct any broken parts and prevent further damage, be sure not to delay receiving dental attention.
• Chipped or cracked tooth: A fractured or chipped tooth may require a root canal or extraction, depending on the severity of the fracture or chip. Minor tooth cracks can usually be mended through filling. Whatever the level of damage, seeing a dentist as quickly as possible will keep bacteria from getting into the tooth and causing an infection.
• Tooth extraction: Normally, dentists will try to save a tooth before removing it. However, sometimes the damage to a tooth is too drastic to fix, and an extraction is necessary.
• Impacted teeth: If a tooth never fully erupts through the gums as it is supposed to, it’s possible for your teeth to become impacted. Impacted teeth are often overcrowded and can result in one or multiple teeth being displaced or crooked, among other issues. It’s common for this to happen when there are wisdom teeth present, but it can potentially happen to other teeth as well.

There’s a long list of oral concerns that would benefit from an urgent appointment with a dentist, including abscesses, a knocked-out tooth, lost crown or filling, denture problems, general mouth pain, symptoms of gum disease, oral bleeding, dislodged teeth, soft tissue or jaw injury and needing a root canal or wisdom teeth extraction.

How Would a Dentist Near Me Open on Sunday Help a Dental Emergency?

Emergency or weekend dental professionals have the same skills and knowledge that’s required of your normal dentist. They are adequately qualified and experienced in providing patients with the same attentive care and dental treatment. Weekend emergency dentists are often more flexible in when they can service clients and are fairly familiar with addressing emergency injuries and other problems.

Your emergency dental provider will inquire about what’s been bothering you, when the symptoms started, and how they’ve progressed. They will also conduct an in-depth examination of your teeth and gums. The dentist will provide you with immediate treatment, whether it’s temporary pain relief or resolving the primary problem.

Why Aren’t Many Dental Offices Near Me Open on Saturdays?

You may have noticed that dentist offices’ schedules and business hours can vary quite a bit. This is because it’s not uncommon for dentists to open up their own practice, acting as owners, administrators, and dental care providers.

These small businesses usually only hire a limited number of staff and service patients belonging to the local community. With a small number of regular clientele and minimal staff, it’s practical for dentists to keep their offices open only during certain days and hours within the normal work week. There are realities and challenges when maintaining your own business so it’s not surprising that dentists can’t afford to be available every day, as much as they want to be there to accommodate all their patients’ needs.

Compared to large corporations or encompassing healthcare systems, which have many more employees as they regularly provide for a far-reaching clientele, it makes sense for private dentist offices with fewer patients to offer care on limited availability.

What Does an Emergency Dental Appointment Consist of?

After finding a weekend dentist to help with your emergency, you’ll likely arrive at the office for a same or next-day appointment, getting necessary care in a matter of hours. When you get to the urgent care dentist's office, you can check in normally, just as you might at your regular dental provider. You may wait for a short time or be serviced right away since many dentist offices aren’t as busy during weekends.

The dentist will likely ask about details such as the intensity and length of the symptoms and pain you’ve been experiencing, as well as if you know what may have caused the issues, changes to your routine or dental care, and any other relevant information. They’ll then proceed with an extensive inspection of your, which may include an X-ray if the problem is suspected to be an internal problem.

The dental team will consider all factors and options before deciding the course of action that will best treat your dental emergency on such short notice. Depending on what specifically caused your pain or mouth damage, they may provide treatments to temporarily relieve pain and protect you from additional harm and discomfort before you can be seen at an appointment that’s more prepared to resolve the issue.

This will likely happen when the situation requires a complicated procedure or care, such as a tooth extraction or root canal therapy; some injuries can be treated and entirely resolved during the initial emergency appointment. Whatever your dentist decides, they will also ensure you are scheduled for a follow-up appointment with them or your regular dental office, whether to check everything’s stable or to administer additional treatment.

Is It More Expensive To Receive Care From Dentists Open on Saturdays?

Yes, most dentists helping patients during weekend hours will include additional costs compared to treatment during a normal, scheduled appointment. This is usually due to the urgent nature of many of these visits in addition to the specialized care and equipment that is likely needed; some dental crises may necessitate unexpected X-rays or fillings, which will cost the office more in labor and supplies.

A dental office’s extended availability, whether offered or provided upon a patient’s request because of their unbearable discomfort, can result in a costlier overall total. This can often leave individuals who indeed need emergency attention feeling hesitant, but it’s not advised to put off seeing a dental professional to save on costs or because, like most people, you don’t have disposable funds set aside for this possibility.

Some dentists will offer payment plans or discounts to reduce some of the expenses gained from urgent care. Emergency Dental Service also offers payment plans that may additionally assist in earning you reduced rates; some dentists within our network sometimes give discounts between 20 and 60 percent for clients on our plan.

It’s a wise decision to seek dental evaluation and treatment as soon as you can, even if you’re worried about the potential costs. This is likely your best option compared to going to an emergency room, where they likely won’t know the root of the issue and will charge you excessively after long wait times. Avoiding emergency treatment won’t resolve the issue and can even increase the chances that your symptoms get worse. You may require further care and procedures to resolve the problem down the line.

How Emergency Dental Service Can Assist You in Santa Monica, CA

At Emergency Dental Service, our dedicated team is prepared to assist you with your urgent situation and take your call anytime, no matter where you are. As a 24/7 resource servicing patients across the country, we connect clients with a local emergency dentist who’s available, including during the weekend. With a real-time calendar system, we stay up to date with open appointment times at dental practices near you, allowing us to schedule a same-day visit or an appointment early the next day.

Qualified team members at Emergency Dental Service will also inquire about your situation and can share any appropriate at-home remedies while you wait in order to protect injured areas and provide pain relief.

We additionally prescreen all patients before scheduling an emergency appointment to determine which nearby dentists provide the specific services you may require and that they take your insurance or offer payment options that work for you.

For clients without dental insurance or needing additional help with emergency expenses, Emergency Dental Service has financing and coverage options. We can easily provide patients in need with an immediate loan, which only requires proof of employment and an active bank account with a good payment history. No checks of your credit score are required.

How To Find a Santa Monica Dentist Open on Saturday or Sunday

Don’t stress about finding a dentist's office close to you that’s open during the weekend when you’re already overwhelmed with an injury or extreme pain. Let us streamline the process of scheduling an appointment for you. Use our provider database at Emergency Dental Service or contact us at 1-833-624-1382.