Dental Emergencies During Summer Camp

By Dr. Greg Grillo

Summer camp is a classic American experience, and a great way to keep kids outdoors during those hot months when they don’t have school. However, many parents worry about what can happen if their children experience a dental emergency while away at camp.

Broken or chipped teeth, lost braces, and sudden pain are common dental emergencies that may crop up while your child is at summer camp. If you become aware of such a situation, the first thing to do is to use a dental directory you can trust to find the practitioner who is closest to the camp your child is staying at.

Emergencydentistsusa.com is one example of an online directory with a reputation for helping people find quality care. They can be called all day and night to help find a vetted, trustworthy dental professional.

You can also use the phone book or Google Business Listings to find a dentist nearby, but you should always call them before setting up the appointment. Some good questions to ask are:

• Finding out if they can help with the problem your child is experiencing
• Finding out how much they charge for an appointment
• Finding out how soon they can see your child
• Finding out whether they take patients with your insurance, or have no-insurance payment plans

The advantage of a directory is that all of these questions have already been asked for you.

Find an Emergency Dentist

If there’s a serious emergency, such as bleeding, you may need to seek out a 24-hour emergency dentist. Sometimes these can also be found through an online directory, but most likely you will need to seek out the nearest emergency room or hospital to find out if they have a dentist on staff.

It will be much harder to find a dentist available within 24 hours if you’re looking for a specialist, like an orthodontist or periodontist.

There are effective ways to deal with a dental emergency while your child is at summer camp. There are trustworthy dental practitioners all over the country who will give your child the best care they can.

 

Dr. Greg Grillo held private dental practice for over 17 years, and was happy to share his recommendations in navigating this tricky situation.