If you’re experiencing a dental emergency but don’t have dental insurance, it shouldn’t stop you from seeking the prompt care your child needs. Knowing that your child won’t have a toothache in the middle of the night or have a painful swollen jaw on the weekend is worth getting your child’s work done even if you don’t have dental insurance. Ask one of the parents that has had to call us over the weekend and they will concur!
Children with poor oral health were nearly 3 times more likely to miss school due to dental pain, according to a North Carolina study. In a Los Angeles study, dental problems were responsible for about 1/3 of elementary school absences, among children from economically vulnerable families.
Dental insurance companies may not always have your child’s best interest in mind. Even with dental insurance there will be charges that you will incur. (SEE “Utilizing Your Dental Insurance”). You will have financial needs whether you have dental insurance or not. Our staff are ninja’s when it comes to answering questions about financing your child’s dental work.
If you think your child has a dental emergency and you don’t have dental insurance, get in touch with our staff. They can answer any questions you may have and schedule a visit for your child so that you will know exactly what to expect.
If your child’s emergency involves severe facial or head trauma or severe injury to the jaw, we urge you to seek medical attention from your pediatrician or urgent care right away. These could be signs of a more serious medical issue that takes precedence over seeing the dentist.
What you can also do to help ease the dental emergency:
If there is swelling and pain, you can create a mixture of warm water and salt to use as mouthwash. This tends to reduce swelling and irritation and can safely grant a degree of relief while you sort out your next steps and contact your dentist.
You can also use cold compresses.
If a tooth has been knocked out, you may have heard advice before about putting it in cold milk. This is good advice, and can help preserve the tooth while you quickly make your way to the dentist. In some cases when patients seek help fast enough the tooth can be re-inserted.
We are more than kid-friendly… kids LOVE us! Because we only work with children our techniques, treatment and mannerisms are tailored to work with kids. Let our amazing staff calm your child. Some well-meaning parents actually make their children more anxious by “preparing” their children for a visit to our office. This technique may actually backfire because your child can see your anxiety.
We know that calm parents make calm patients. If you have any questions, please call and discuss the treatment with Dr. Warr or one of our well-trained assistants. It is important to us that our child have a great attitude toward dentistry and a great dental experience.