Toothache can strike at any time. The same goes for chipped, cracked or altogether knocked out teeth. Dental injuries can happen while out and about, while having lunch with friends or when playing sports. An accident causing a tooth to break can feel awkward or embarrassing for many people when out in public because, as well as the pain, many people will feel self-conscious about how their smile now looks with a chipped or broken tooth.
This is all on top of the annoyance of having to abandon plans for the day to get an emergency dental appointment in Mackay. Dental clinics such as Walkerston Dental in Walkerston offer emergency care and strive to see patients the very same day of their dental emergency.
How to get an emergency dental appointment
It’s easy to find out where to turn when in need of an emergency dental appointment in Mackay. The Australian Dental Association provides a list of dentists that offer emergency dental care. Many offer appointments outside of regular hours. This means even if a patient’s local dentist is unable to provide emergency dental care, patients can still access the treatment they need.
What to expect
Dental anxiety is more common than most people realise and it is normal for people to feel even more nervous about an emergency appointment than for routine dental appointments. This can be due to the urgency of a situation, the pain, or the fear of not knowing how bad the damage is. Knowing what to expect can alleviate some of this anxiety.
When a patient comes in for an emergency dental appointment in Mackay, the dentist will first address their pain. Appropriate pain relief will be provided and next the damaged area will be examined. It will be cleaned and sterilised to reduce the chances of infection and then the dentist will get to work on repairing the damage. Patients could have the repairs completed then and there or may need to come back for follow-up treatment. For example, if a patient has lost a tooth, restoration will take more time to arrange than a single emergency dental appointment.
