The dentist emergency service, or as it is officially called, the dental emergency service, is the on-call service of the resident dentists outside of normal office hours. The phone numbers of the respective dentists who provide the emergency service can be found in the daily newspapers or on the Internet.
- The dental emergency service is an on-call service by alternating dentists outside the normal opening hours of a practice.
- There is no nationwide uniform phone number.
- All types of tooth, mouth or jaw pain are treated.
- There are no separate costs for treatment by the dental emergency service.
What is an emergency?
In addition to classic toothache or pain in the tooth root, dental emergencies also include:
- Accidental injuries affecting the tooth, mouth and jaw. These include tooth and jaw fractures and tongue and lip injuries
- Bleeding after a dental or surgical procedure, for example after tooth extraction, wisdom tooth surgery or implant treatment.
- Febrile infections such as abscesses in the jaw or inflammation of the gums are also classified as an emergency.
When to the emergency dentist, when to the hospital?
The question of whether a patient should visit an emergency dentist or a hospital outside the opening hours of his other dental practice cannot be answered easily. The decision as to whether a referral to a hospital is necessary is ultimately made by the emergency dental service. This can be the case when suppuration has progressed to such an extent that inpatient administration of antibiotics for several hours is necessary.
As more and more patients go to the hospitals directly due to the long waiting times at the emergency doctors, they have now put up signs in the emergency rooms. The numbers for the medical emergency service, also for the dentist on-call service, are listed on these signs. This is intended to relieve the in-patient emergency rooms.
What does the treatment by the dental emergency service cost?
The treatment is billed as normal, like any other dental treatment. There are no costs for members of a statutory health insurance company , provided that no temporary dentures have to be made. It is sufficient to present the insurance card. As with any other dental treatment, members of private health insurance receive an invoice that they submit to the health insurance company.
Do you have to make an appointment for the dentist emergency service?
In any case, it makes sense to contact the practice that performs the dental emergency service by telephone in advance. In this way one avoids long waiting times in the practice and the doctor can structure his schedule better.
How do I find the emergency dentist service?
There are three options for searching in an emergency:
- Anyone who uses a daily newspaper will find the current medical emergency services there, including the pharmacies that provide emergency services.
- There is still no nationwide uniform number. However, you will find the regional emergency numbers of the dentists on the pages of the medical on- call service.
- By entering “dental emergency service” and the respective municipality in the search line of the browser, names of dentists or information centers are displayed, depending on the municipality.
