When To Go to an Emergency Dentist vs the ER?

Dental emergencies can be stressful and painful, making it hard to tell whether you should call your dentist or head to the emergency room. It does not help that these emergencies can come in many different forms. A knocked-out tooth, for example, may sometimes be considered a medical emergency; other times, it may only require the attention of a dentist. Knowing what to do can make all the difference in the long run.

What exactly is a dental emergency?

A dental emergency is an oral health problem that requires immediate attention. They may be painful, bleed, or compromise a tooth. Some dental emergencies are life-threatening. Common examples include:

• Severely cracked or chipped teeth
• Knocked-out or missing teeth
• Severe, seemingly random tooth pain
• Cuts on the lips, tongue, or gums
• Severe jaw pain or swelling
• Severely swollen gums
• Mouth swelling
• Abscessed teeth
• Aching gums
• Exposed nerves
• Broken dental crown

When you should go to the ER

Patients should visit the emergency room if they suspect their dental emergency could be life-threatening. Some examples are if the patient dislocated their jaw or has an abscess that makes breathing difficult. The same applies if the dental emergency results from a traumatic face injury, such as a car accident or sports injury. This is to ensure that no other injuries — broken bones, head injuries, internal bleeding — need to be addressed.

Once the patient is stabilized, ER staff may refer them to an emergency dentist. While ER doctors are qualified to treat serious injuries, emergency dentists have professional training in restoring the mouth. Further, they will take care to restore beauty in addition to functional restoration.

Visiting an emergency dentist

Patients may skip the ER and contact an emergency dentist if the dental emergency is not life-threatening. For a dental emergency to be considered life-threatening, it needs to involve excessive bleeding, trouble breathing, or be the result of trauma. For instance, patients who chipped a tooth from teeth grinding or eating do not need to go to the ER.

Waiting until the patient’s next dental checkup is not recommended. The problem may get worse the longer it is left untreated. A common example is a cracked tooth. Left alone, the crack may deepen and even reach into the root of the tooth, which may then become infected. What may have been fixed with dental bonding (the material used to fill cavities) may now require a root canal.