Smyle Dental Bakersfield, a downtown practice rated 4.9 stars across 812 verified Google reviews, is urging Kern County residents in acute dental pain to seek emergency dentistry care from a dentist rather than a hospital emergency department, where the underlying problem typically goes untreated.
The distinction is a matter of staffing and scope. Few hospitals employ a dentist, and emergency departments are not equipped to extract an infected tooth, perform root canal therapy or place a restoration. A patient who arrives at an emergency room with a throbbing molar is generally stabilized, given pain medication or antibiotics and discharged with instructions to see a dentist. The tooth that caused the pain is still there, still infected and still untreated. For residents of central Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County communities, that often means two visits, two bills and several additional days in pain before anyone addresses the cause.
"When someone is in that much pain at 9 p.m., the emergency room feels like the obvious answer, and I understand why," said David Zaghi, D.D.S., lead dentist at Smyle Dental Bakersfield. "Our focus is getting people diagnosed and treated in one visit, in a setting where we can actually fix what is causing it."
The cost gap is substantial. According to the American Dental Association, emergency department visits for dental conditions run roughly three times the cost of a dental visit, averaging $749 for patients who are not admitted, and account for approximately $1.6 billion in annual spending nationwide, about a third of it paid by Medicaid. The ADA also reports that abscesses and tooth decay — both largely preventable — made up close to 80 percent of dental-related emergency room visits in a Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project analysis, and that roughly 663,000 emergency department visits for non-traumatic dental conditions occurred among Medicaid-enrolled adults ages 21 to 64 in 2018.
Those figures matter in a market where many patients are uninsured or underinsured. A hospital visit that produces a prescription and a referral consumes money that could have covered the actual treatment. Smyle Dental Bakersfield reserves time for same-day emergency appointments, subject to availability, and handles diagnosis, treatment and follow-up restorative care in the same office — a continuity that emergency-only and hospital pathways do not provide.
The practice treats severe toothaches, dental abscesses and infections, cracked or broken teeth, knocked-out teeth, lost fillings and crowns and dental trauma, using diagnostic imaging to identify the source of pain before treatment begins. Zaghi is a graduate of the USC School of Dentistry and a member of the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and the San Gabriel Valley Dental Society.
There are narrow exceptions where a hospital is the correct destination. Facial swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, a high fever alongside dental infection, uncontrolled bleeding and suspected jaw or facial fractures all warrant immediate emergency medical attention. Outside those situations, a dentist is the provider equipped to resolve the problem.
"Cost and fear are the two reasons people wait, and waiting is what turns a filling into an extraction," Zaghi said. "We want patients to know what a dental emergency actually costs here before they assume they cannot afford to call."
Kern County residents experiencing severe tooth pain, a dental abscess or dental trauma can review symptom guidance, learn what to expect during an emergency visit and request a same-day appointment with Dr. David Zaghi and the Smyle Dental Bakersfield team at https://smyledentist.com/bakersfield/emergency-dentistry/.
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personal health decisions.
About Smyle Dental Bakersfield
Smyle Dental Bakersfield is a general and cosmetic dental practice serving central Bakersfield and Kern County, California. Led by David Zaghi, D.D.S., a graduate of the USC School of Dentistry and a member of the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association and the San Gabriel Valley Dental Society, the practice offers emergency dentistry, restorative care, implants, Invisalign and cosmetic treatment. The office is located at 2016 E St, Bakersfield, CA 93301, and can be reached at (661) 493-9040. https://smyledentist.com
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For more information about Smyle Dental Bakersfield, contact the company here:
Smyle Dental Bakersfield
Dr. David Zaghi
16614939040
smyledentalgroup@gmail.com
2016 E St, Bakersfield, CA 93301, United States
