Stonewood Dental To Offer Urgent Dental Care, First In Central Texas

Online, May 14, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Central Texans have an option to receive urgent dental care without an appointment and at a flat fee, a first-of-its-kind dental service in Central Texas. The announcement was made today by Stonewood Dental's Dr. Steve Childress.

Childress will treat emergencies in his Waco office at 421 N. Robinson Drive for $150 during the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every Monday through Thursday and Saturday mornings 8:00 a.m to 11:00 a.m. As demand grows, so likely will his urgent care hours.

More Americans are turning to the emergency room (ER) for routine dental problems. According to a February 2012 Pew Report, in 2009 more than 830,000 Americans visited hospital emergency rooms for preventable dental conditions-a 16 percent increase from 2006.

"Going to the ER for preventable dental emergencies can cost ten times more than preventive care and offers far fewer treatment options than a dentist's office," said Childress. "My goal is to treat dental emergencies in a timely and cost-effective manner for both people who rarely see a dentist, as well as for busy people who regularly see a dentist."

Childress spent ten years in the United States Air Force where he gained experience in dental surgery and emergency/urgent dentistry.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost one in every four adults reported some form of facial pain in the past six months with toothaches as the culprit. Tooth decay affects children more than any other chronic infectious disease. Cavities are found in half of all U.S. children 12-15 years old, as well as 25 percent of children aged two to five, says the CDC.

Central Texas residents, including Stonewood Dental patients, are encouraged to take advantage of the area's only urgent dental care service.