Act Quickly To Maintain Healthier Teeth

Why you don’t need to be in pain to seek an emergency appointment at our Bedford dental practice.

The word ‘emergency’ can have loaded meanings for some people. It can conjure up images of life threatening or, at least, very serious injuries. In dental terms, it is most probably mainly thought of as when the patient is in severe pain with a toothache or where serious damage has been done to a tooth. Whilst you should obviously see an emergency dentist in Bedford in these situations, appointments can also be sought for what appear to be less serious, but still pressing issues.

Anything that does not appear to be ‘normal’ with regards to your teeth or gums needs to be investigated. Generally, we will try to see all those seeking emergency dental care on the same day, or as early the next day as possible, but we will try to prioritise those with the most significant or painful problems.

The Receptionist’s role

Whether you have a severe toothache or are experiencing something that may at first seem manageable, such as sore gums, you should call the reception team at The Dental Centre Bedford for an appointment. Please let our receptionist know the nature of the problem and they will try to find an appropriate appointment for you as soon as possible.

Whilst our receptionists are not trained dentists, they have the experience to understand which problems should be seen most urgently. They will also, in many cases, be able to offer advice on how to keep the tooth as comfortable as possible until such time that we can see you. In more complicated cases, they will seek the advice of a member of our Bedford dental team and call you back.

Same day appointments

Where you are in pain, or where there has been significant damage done to a tooth, we will always do our best to see you on the same day. We do request that patients seeking an emergency dental appointment contact us as soon as possible, as delaying the call for even an hour may mean that we do not have any appointments available on that day.

Unfortunately it may not be possible to see less urgent cases on the same day; however, you should not be deterred from calling us to make an appointment. Using the sore and inflamed gums as an example, it is better to have this investigated a few days after you call us, rather than to leave it until your next general check up, when the problem is likely to have become worse. In this particular situation, what may be early stage gum disease, or gingivitis, may turn into periodontitis, a much more aggressive gum problem, if you leave it for any length of time without diagnosis and treatment.

We know that some people don’t like to ‘bother the dentist’, but we are here for your needs and to help keep your teeth and gums healthy. The best way to do this is to keep regular check up appointments and to contact us if you have any problems at all.

To make an appointment with one of our Bedford dentists, please call The Dental Centre Bedford on 01234 819868.