Helping Patients Find Weekend Emergency Dentists near Gaithersburg, MD

Why Aren’t All Dentists Open on Weekends?

Many dentists would like to stay open 24/7, but the realities of running a dental office prevent them from doing so.

When dentists open their own private practices, they can hire staff and set their schedules however they see fit. This is because they are technically considered business owners, and they aren’t regulated by any hospitals or third-party companies. However, some dentists can only remain open for five days a week, and they are usually only open for eight to nine hours. This is because they may not have staff willing to work overnight, or they don’t have the financial means to stay open at all times.

Additionally, some dentists are only open on weekends, and other practices remain open 24/7. The reason for this is to help those who are struggling with dental emergencies. It is too risky to go about your normal life if you have a dental emergency causing immense pain. Some emergencies involve infections that can spread quickly toward other areas of your mouth and body. Because normal dentists are closed during the week, you can get in touch with a weekend dentist who can help relieve your dental emergency.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies We Treat

There are many types of dental emergencies we recommend speaking to a dentist open on weekends about. When left unchecked, these situations can lead to more problematic consequences that can be tougher to deal with. Below are a few dental emergencies to be aware of:

• Tooth injuries. This can include chips, cracks, breaks, and trauma. If you take a hit to the face, for example, this could shift a tooth out of place and potentially make it fall out entirely. In other cases, you could chip, crack, or break a tooth, which can be quite painful. This also leaves a space for bacteria to accumulate and start an infection. Tooth injuries can be fixed by a dentist with Saturday hours, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
• Immense toothaches. Toothaches that make everyday activities like sleeping, eating, and drinking a challenge should be resolved by a weekend dentist. We’ve met many people in the past who thought toothaches were minor and would heal on their own. However, toothaches could be a sign of a larger problem such as tooth decay or infection in the gums. Speak with a dentist open on Saturdays or Saturdays if you experience a toothache over the weekend.
• Impaired braces. If you wear braces and the wire gets dislodged, you risk damaging the inside of your mouth. While you could place a cotton ball on the end of the wire to protect against some of the scraping, you need a dentist open on weekends to take a look and either fix the wire or replace it. Leaving it alone could cause additional damage to your mouth, and your teeth could start to shift in different positions.
• Broken or loose restorations. Restorations like fillings, bridges, and crowns can sometimes become loose over time and eventually fall out of place. Sometimes, you’ll be eating as usual, only to break a crown on your tooth in the process. No matter what happens, it is vital you contact a dentist open on Saturday or Sunday as soon as possible. If not, you risk doing more damage to the tooth in question.
• Avulsed tooth. An avulsed tooth is a tooth that has been knocked out of the socket entirely. For example, if you are playing football with your friends over the weekend and take a blow to the face, your tooth could fall out completely. In this instance, you have around two hours to seek a weekend dentist and have them try to re-insert the tooth back into place. If you’re fast, your tooth could be saved.
• Abscessed tooth. Do you have an area of painful swelling near your tooth that’s filled with pus? This is called an abscessed tooth, which means an infection has formed by your tooth and in your gums. This infection tries to eat away at your tooth, the root, the space between your tooth and gums, and other nearby tissue. The longer you leave an abscess alone, the bigger the infection becomes. Fortunately, a weekend dentist can clean out the infection and prevent similar issues from arising.

Dentists open on weekends have the tools needed to identify dental emergencies and treat them accordingly. If you have a dental problem that is preventing you from completing basic tasks, you must have it addressed as soon as you can.

What Should I Do if I Have a Dental Emergency During the Weekend?

If you experience a dental emergency, you may be confused as to how to handle the situation. Dental emergencies are both uncommon and impossible to expect, so it makes sense that you may seem unsure of what to do.

The first step is to avoid panicking over the situation. You don’t want to cause any additional damage to your tooth or mouth, so don’t try to fix the problem yourself. Try to stay calm and immediately call Emergency Dental Service so you can be sent to a weekend dentist. If your tooth was knocked out, take the tooth and rinse it in saline or salt water, if you have any. This can remove any debris and make the restoration process easier on the weekend dentist.

If you have a toothache, you can take over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen if this helps relieve some of the pain. Do not rely on these as a permanent solution, as this won’t cure the main problem at hand. However, feel free to use these to manage your pain until you visit your Saturday dentist. You can also rinse your mouth with warm or cold water if either helps control your pain.

After you’ve contacted Emergency Dental Service and have taken steps to control your pain, you can head to a dentist open on weekends to have your emergency resolved.

How Does a Weekend Dentist Appointment Differ From a Regular Appointment?

For normal dentist appointments, you might have to wait your turn to be seen by a dentist, and you’re usually only scheduled for appointments at least twice a year. This isn’t the case with weekend dentists, though, as these dentists don’t have full schedules and are mainly operational to help those with emergencies.

When you arrive at your appointment, you’ll be greeted by office staff and sent to the dentist for an examination. The weekend dentist can then examine your mouth to check for issues, including the ones you mentioned on the phone. Most dentists will already have an idea of what to do for your case, depending on if you gave clear information about your situation. Your weekend dentist may use X-rays or other devices to check for issues in case your problem isn’t visible to the naked eye.

When your weekend dentist has finished examining your mouth, they can then make a professional decision on how to address your concerns. There are two ways your case could progress from here. First, the Saturday dentist could simply resolve your problem that same day, which means you can head home pain-free.

If your issue needs more time to fully resolve, however, then weekend dentists should provide a temporary solution for your case. For instance, if you have to have a more extensive procedure to treat your toothache, not only could you receive pain medication, but you’ll be scheduled for a follow-up appointment as early as possible. This way, you can manage some of your pain while the weekend dentist creates a treatment plan that they can use at your next appointment. Dentists open on weekends will never send you home without providing some form of treatment, and the end goal for every patient is to eliminate dental emergencies and provide healing.

Overall, weekend emergency dentist appointments don’t differ too much from standard appointments. However, rather than receiving a simple cleaning and having to wait for a long time to be seen, the process is much faster in an emergency setting.

Finding a Dentist Near Me on Saturday and Sunday

The best way to schedule an appointment with a weekend dentist is to call Emergency Dental Service , as they can determine how to find the right dentist for you. When you contact them, you can explain your full situation, as well as where you’re located. Not only can they find a weekend dentist near you, but they will share the information you give with the team.

Dental emergencies are known to occur at the worst times possible. You may be eating dinner with friends on Saturday night and crack a tooth while chewing. You can’t leave this alone or try to tough it out, as you’re putting your oral health at risk the longer you put off getting help. Instead, you can reach out to Emergency Dental Service and explain what happened. Once we’re notified of your emergency, we’ll be ready to address it as soon as you walk through our doors.

Does Emergency Dental Work Cost More?

Generally, there is a chance you’ll have to pay more for emergency dental services compared to standard dental work from your normal dentist.

This is because emergency dental appointments are done on short notice, and you also need specialized treatment to have your emergency resolved. For instance, if you need fillings after breaking the ones already in your mouth, you need specific fillings made and installed. This costs extra to do, especially in an urgent case like yours.

This can sound intimidating at first, but there is some good news. You might be eligible for a payment plan through Emergency Dental Service that can make paying off your dental work easier. There are also discounts that could apply to your case, meaning you won’t pay nearly as much. The Emergency Dental Service team  will work with you regarding payment. We know you may not have the money ready as soon as an emergency occurs. Our first goal is to treat your emergency, and once we’ve treated your condition, we can discuss payment afterward.

We encourage you to seek an emergency dentist open on Saturday or Sunday if you need help, as putting it off will only complicate your situation further.

Reach Out to Emergency Dental Service Today

We’ve met people who tried to stick it out and wait as long as possible to seek dental care. Some tried to make it to their regular dental appointment, but the pain and infection were too much. Eventually, this progressed into more serious issues that were even worse to live with. Rather than put yourself through this and complicate your health, reach out to Emergency Dental Service. For those in Gaithersburg, MD, we’ll be prepared to treat you as soon as you arrive.

Emergency Dental Service has put together a list of weekend dentists across the United States, so be sure to refer to this if you need help, regardless of your location. For more information about how we can address your dental emergency, call Emergency Dental Service at 1-833-624-1382.