Emergency is a Small Business Opportunity for Dentists
Dental emergencies are distressing and affect children and adults alike. They are extremely common and can happen anywhere. Many people endure dental emergencies, including toothaches, swelling, bleeding, or a broken tooth. All these necessitate prompt emergency dental services and have since become a business opportunity for many dentists.
What are dental emergencies?
Dental emergencies range from broken or knocked out tooth, bleeding, toothaches, bleeding, broken jaws, swelling, abscesses and more. They’re very critical and demand prompt attention by a dentist. Although they may not be life and death situations, they can cause terrible pain and discomfort. It’s also essential to understand how to relieve the pain and swelling before reaching the dentist.
How can you prevent dental emergencies?
Some dental emergencies result from accidents, while others are caused by neglect. There are numerous ways to avoid dental emergencies. First of all, avoid opening or holding things using your teeth. Instead, use a pair of scissors, pliers or a bottle opener.
When engaging in sporting activities, use an athletic mouthguard.
You can get kicked or knocked out and can lose your teeth if you don’t have a mouthguard. Caring for your teeth also plays a critical role in the prevention of dental emergencies. By brushing and flossing daily, you prevent various oral infections and bad breath.
Lastly, visit your dentist regularly. He or she will identify any problems with your teeth and remedy them early enough. Besides, delaying dental treatment can jeopardize your overall health.
What’s the cost of dental emergency treatment?
Typically, dental emergency bills are higher than regular dental treatment. However, this varies from one country to the other. The rates are higher in big cities, hence the need for dental insurance. Here are the estimates;
Root canals are pricey, and the location in your mouth can determine the cost of the procedure. Front teeth are less costly, and the cost increase as the teeth farther to the molars. Molars cost about $1,000 to$1,200.
Tooth extraction is yet another emergency procedure. It happens due to severe infection, broken or cracked tooth. If your tooth is extracted using local anesthesia, this will cost approximately $75 to $300. But, this may cost $200-$600 if you have to be anesthetized. Cavity fillings are also common. Emergency fillings can cost about $100 to $ 250 if the crack in your tooth is minimal.
Are dental emergencies a small business opportunity for dentists?
Dental emergencies are common occurrences and all demand immediate attention by a dentist. Most people, both adults and kids, endure these problems often. These can range from a cracked tooth to a more severe case like uncontrollable bleeding and knocked out teeth. These may seem simple, but they all cost a considerable amount of cash to fix.
Dentists benefit a lot from these types of dental issues. Unlike cosmetic and other advanced dental procedures, you can be sure to get one, two or more clients in a day. Besides, social media-friendly orthodontic procedures will have to sit it out for now. Most cities are only allowing dental emergency services to curb the spread of the Covid19 pandemic.
The bottom line
There are distinct types of dental emergencies, and all can happen to anyone. The best way to deal with such problems is to seek treatment form a dentist near you. Delaying treatment can worsen the issue by infecting other healthy teeth.
LIFE WILL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT AT LAST TWICE IN YOUR LIFETIME: KNOW THE COMMON DENTAL INJURIES
Have you ever dreamt that you lost all of your teeth, and were encompassed by an overwhelming sense of relief on realizing it is, after all, just a dream? Dental injuries can be unpleasant and stressful. The good news, however, is you can avoid them by implementing the steps specified below. Please check them out right now.
- Knocked-Out Tooth
If you experience this particular condition, it is better to seek professional assistance immediately. An emergency dentist may save your literal teeth even when they are knocked out of your mouth. If a tooth cannot be implanted back in the socket, you may have to opt for dentures. Control the bleeding using a sterile cloth or gauze. For swelling and pain, apply an ice pack or consume ibuprofen.
To avoid your teeth from being knocked out, you must undertake certain preventive measures. For example, maintain proper oral hygiene and adhere to a balanced diet so that your teeth are strong and not prone to breakage. Put on a mouthguard while playing any sort of contact sport, and be careful in general if you tend to slip, trip, or fall. That is it.
- Dislodged Tooth
A dislodged tooth, also known as extruded, avulsed, or luxated tooth, happens when the mouth goes through immense trauma. Starting from adventurous sports to accidents, a large number of things can be held responsible. In certain cases, you can push the tooth back into its former position, but if the blood flow has been obstructed somehow, there is no other choice than undertaking a root canal treatment.
Suck on an ice popsicle or apply ice cubes wrapped in a clean washcloth on the cheek to reduce inflammation as much as possible. If you do not wish to invest in a replacement, place the tooth in a bowl of milk. The moister the tooth, the easier it will get back in the socket. Watch out for fever, profuse bleeding, excruciating pain, and change in the colour of the gums, all of which are signs of infection.
- Chipped Tooth
Chipped or cracked tooth is rarely painful, thus, not a source of concern. But, you must get this condition examined, and install a dental onlay for restoring the shape of the tooth, and keeping complications at bay. Cavities are known for weakening the enamel. Grinding teeth and eating acid-producing food items like fruit juice, caffeine, etc. also have a role to play. So, avoid them.
There are various home remedies that you may try before medical intervention. Rinse your mouth thoroughly with salt water so that harmful germs fail to get access. Also, if the breakage has caused a jagged or sharp edge, make sure to cover it with sugarless gum or a piece of paraffin wax. In this way, it will not cut the tongue and insides of your lip and cheek. Never bite anything hard. If you have to eat, go for liquids.
The aforementioned conditions can be prevented only if you agree to act with utmost caution. Just like staying out at night increases your risk of being a victim of crime, similarly not taking care of the teeth make them vulnerable, or a victim of injuries. Brush twice a day, floss, and do whatever it takes to strengthen those pearly whites of yours.
Emergency Dentistry Requires Fast & Efficient Communications
When it comes to emergencies, all businesses need to prioritize proper communication. Otherwise, how else will you plan your emergency response execution? How will you let your clients if your systems are down? All dental care service providers including even the most highly reputed emergency dentist benefit a lot from having effective and efficient communication in place.
Benefits of fast and efficient communication during emergencies
The best way to quickly get the word out during emergency situations is via efficient and effective communication. As a dentist, you need to tailor your communication needs to facilitate real-time and direct-to-direct contact. This means that you need to open a clinic equipped with intranet such as Sharepoint. This is mobile-friendly tool ensures that you react, respond to, and contain an emergency situation faster.
Still not convinced about the importance of fast and efficient communication during emergency situations?
- Acting fast could save the patient’s life
Quick communication facilitates a quick response and this prevents further damages to the already critical situation. For example, if a patient is involved in an accident and their jaw is broken a dentist could help fix it and stop the bleeding by performing a life-saving procedure.
- Acting fast could save your business
Miscommunications or slow communication could break a business. On the other hand, proper communication in emergencies is helpful in containing the situation as your team is alerted on what they’re supposed to do. They act in a fast and coordinated way in times of crisis and this positively impacts your business.
- Proper planning improves efficiency
You don’t have to wait until the last minute to put in place proper emergency response solutions. By planning in advance you find the right solution and tailor it to fit your business dynamics. This improves the overall efficiency of your practice.
Trying to find what communication channels work for you is a lot harder during or after an emergency situation.
- Patient satisfaction
If your patients can easily reach for emergencies, it makes them that you put their health first. This builds trust because the patient views you as a valued member of their healthcare team, especially when you use a customized approach to tend to their needs.
At the end of the day you’ll notice a reduction in the number of complaints and as a result, a better relationship.
- Streamlined post-emergency follow up
Having a clear report of your communications and timelines makes it very easy for you to follow up on any upcoming incidents afterward. This helps you figure out where you need to improve so make your dental service delivery better.
Conclusion
Fast and efficient communication isn’t only good for patients – it’s also good for business. It gives you the edge on your patient experience and keeps them coming back instead of going to another dentist who listens, understands, and responds better.
Excellent communication skills are one of the most important skills that one requires to become a dentist. If you are considering becoming a dentist or already are a dentist who wished to stand out from his/her competition, you need to improve communication with your team as well as patients to make communication as instant as possible.
How Risky is an Emergency Dental Treatment During COVID?
One of the protective measures to contain COVID-19 is by keeping social distance. Most places are not operational unless they are essential service providers. Dental practices are no different. Most dental practices are suspended until when deemed fit for normal operations. That is not to say you are bound to suffer when you need a dentist in an emergency.
Here is how to go about managing the emergency dental treatment during COVID.
What is Emergency dental treatment?
Determining a medical emergency is one of the hardest tasks. While there are several dental conditions, not all are emergencies. An emergency is one that comes with extra pain and discomfort—for example, a case of a highly swollen tooth.
While most dental issues are manageable in the early stages, the lack of dental care means they are likely to become severe. Already, this lack of attention has seen a rise in emergency dental cases in recent times.
Given the rising cases of emergency dental cases and the need to finish faster, the dental treatment trends are changing. Unlike before, where restorative methods were the best option, currently extraction is the most preferred option. The removal eliminates the pathogenic tooth and does not require regular doctor follow-ups.
Don’t fret; no dentist undertakes any procedure before without consulting the patient. The dentists must first explain to the patient the available treatment options then allow them to choose the most viable. The process can only commence with the consent of the patient.
Emergency Dental Treatment Guidelines
To reduce the risk of COVID transmission, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) has come up with regulations that guide dental interactions. The regulations provide for patient and dentists protection.
The ADA provides that a patient must undergo COVID screening before the commencement of the dental examination. It also directs that the patients wear protective gear. For the dental clinic, they have to ensure environmental disinfection and post-operative instructions for patients. It also provides a step to follow in case of unintentional exposure and how to keep safe after work.
The ADA also provides algorithms that reduce the risk of COVID transmission for emergency dental treatment. The algorithms are helpful in testing for the presence of the virus before treating the dental issue. The algorithm also helps the dentist in choosing the best treatment option for different dental problems.
Lastly, the ADA is always updating the resources on how to manage emergency dental treatment best. It relies on the latest information from the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to come up with regulations. All the dentists that follow the guidelines ensure safe emergency dental treatment.
Medical Follow Up
Before COVID, most dentists would book follow up appointments to monitor progress. With the need to reduce patient contact, most dentists are now leveraging technology for follow up. There are several video technologies for dentist-patient communication when checking up.
Bottom Line
Safety is the key when it comes to emergency dental treatment. Both the patient and the dentists must take protective measures during the procedure.