You’ve got a dental emergency, but it’s the middle of the night. You’re not sure you can hold on until the morning to see your dentist, which means you’re looking for a 24-hour dentist in Seattle.
The problem is a 24-hour dentist is very hard to find. It’s rare that you’ll find someone working on-call, unless you’re in a hospital. Even then, certain departments will go home at the end of the day and not be around until the next morning.
So, can you find a 24-hour dentist in Seattle? Here’s why you probably can’t.
Most Dental Emergencies Aren’t Actually Emergencies
While you think you have a problem that needs to be seen to right that minute. You’ll usually find that you can wait until the following day to speak to your regular dentist or see an emergency specialist. Because of that, the majority of dentists aren’t going to be open 24 hours per day.
Of course, there are some cases that are real emergencies. In this case, you’ll head up to the hospital. However, an emergency in the dental world usually means something that needs to be fixed within days and not hours.
The whole reason you’re probably thinking emergency is the pain. You’ll want to get the treatment so you’re not in as much pain, but there are things you can do to lessen the pain temporarily while you wait for the dentists to open the next morning.
Find Out if Your Dentist Has an Emergency Line
If you do need a 24-hour dentist in Seattle, you’ll want to start by calling your regular dentist. Even when it is out of hours, the dentist will usually have an answer machine message. This will give you the information of the emergency dentist recommended.
You may find that this dentist is open 24 hours a day. You may find that they’re just open for a few hours after the closure of your regular practice.
Either way, you have the number of someone you can see if you can’t wait to get into see your regular dentist. This is a number you’ll want to save too in case your regular dentist is booked up.
Look Specifically for a 24 Hour Dentist in Seattle
When it comes to looking for a dental office, as about the emergency care. What happens if you need help outside the usual hours? What does the dental office offer?
This is a conversation to have early on. It helps you find the right dentist for you. Bigger practices tend to have 24-hour options because they have more staff. There is someone there who will take a week on-call and then not be needed until the following month for emergencies because there are plenty of other people working.
It can be difficult to find a true 24-hour dentist in Seattle. Not many of them will offer this because there just isn’t really the need for it. You may be sent up to the local hospital instead.
