What to do when you have a dental emergency, and why you shouldn’t delay routine check-ups
Dental emergencies can and do happen at the most unforeseen times. In your phone contacts, you’re likely to have the number of a doctor who can attend to you quickly, your car insurer, your local police station – in fact, just about anyone you may suddenly need. Your walk-in dentist should be one of those contacts.Whether you need a dentist on demand in Durban for an emergency or find you have a free afternoon and need a routine dental clean or check, you’re welcome to pop in at any of our branches. So the next time you’re searching for a walk-in dentist in Ballito, Hilton, or La Lucia or need a dentist on demand in Linkhills, Durban North or Queensburgh, simply step inside! We do not work on an appointment-only basis. Life happens, and we’re always ready to provide a helping hand.
As a walk-in dentist who welcomes your patronage, we’ll always accommodate your visit. We are able to work around existing appointments thanks to:
- Our critical staff support
- large infrastructure, and
- sophisticated resource management mechanisms.
If you’re coming in with an unscheduled emergency and not a routine check-up, please be sure to communicate this to us clearly, so that we can fast-track attending to you, depending on the severity of your mouth injury.
What we’re trained to do as emergency dentists
We want you to have confidence in our ability to ably and efficiently treat any urgent, unforeseen mouth matters when you choose us as your dentist on demand in Durban.We have expertly treated a vast range of dental emergencies, some of which were life threatening or could have resulted in permanent damage. Thanks to our advanced technological equipment, some of which has specifically been purchased in the event that you need a dentist on demand in Durban − such as 3D scanners and on-site X-Rays – initial and follow-up treatment times are radically reduced. We are acutely aware in these situations of trimming down your wait time in lieu of procedures that are best performed after accurately imaging the affected mouth and head area.
Our priority is always to stem any serious blood loss, preserve tissue and the teeth, and to administer safe, pain-relieving drugs. We’ll also reverse the effects of any allergies affecting your passageways quickly.
When do you need a walk-in dentist?
Mouth problems in general are so inconvenient, that it almost invariably feels like an emergency. Most commonly though, you’ll know if it’s super urgent and head straight to us as your caring dentist on demand in Durban in one of the following scenarios:
You have a seriously painful toothache – normal painkillers are not dulling the sharp, biting pain.
You’ve lost a tooth, or had it knocked out.
You’re experiencing unusual swelling that’s also painful.
Although the following may seem like emergencies, they usually aren’t:
• A cracked tooth, unless accompanied by blood loss and severe pain.
• Food stuck between your teeth, causing you discomfort.
• A lost retainer or night guard.
• A toothache that’s persistently – but manageably – painful.
• A filling, crown or bridge that’s come loose.
You should still see us as soon as possible though – anything in the mouth left untreated for too long can evolve into an emergency.
Come in for routine check-ups to avoid emergencies unfolding later
We love it when you have an opening and choose us as your walk-in dentist for a cleaning or routine check-up! Why? Well, because it’s always great to see our patients, but primarily because being diligent about your oral health can save you trauma and heartache down the line.
The two big checks we do during routine dental exams
When you come in for a routine visit, even an unscheduled one to us, your dentist on demand in Durban, we’ll always check for any serious latent issues you may not know you have. One such example is gum disease – the earlier we catch it, the more we can prevent what will happen down the line: swelling, tissue breaking down, and bleeding gums.The other important check we do is for mouth cancer. Most commonly, what we’ll pick up first, is a swollen lymph node. Swollen lymph nodes can indicate the presence of certain cancers, but this is not always the case. Misbehaving lymph nodes could also point to an underlying thyroid malfunction.
The check for abnormalities in your lymph node or jaw involves a physical check under lights, and could involve X-Rays if something strange is detected. We will always consult you first.
An X-Ray in turn could reveal:
• Teeth that are possibly mangled below the surface of the jawbone
• A cyst that is starting to, or has formed, and
• Decaying bones.
Should any of these discoveries be made, we would then tactfully talk through all your options with you.You may have seen us on a casual, walk-in dentist basis, but that does not mean we will let you leave as a walk-out patient who hasn’t received thorough, expert care. Our approach is a patient-centric one, so we promise to alert you to anything abnormal we may find sensitively, and to allow you the time and scope you need to consider all follow-up treatment options.
