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Can You Go to the Emergency Room for Tooth Pain?
Emergency room: suitable for tooth pain?
Pain thresholds are subjective and vary per person. Emergency rooms are meant for specific dire situations. If you have an abscess in your mouth that has become infected, then you will need to head to the closest emergency room. If the pain is unbearable and seems to feel like it is spreading along your jaw or neck, then you should go to the ER. If your mouth is bleeding and it has not stopped, you will need to head to the emergency room. When a person loses too much blood, they can lose consciousness.
For minor tooth pain, however, you can simply visit your dentist and have them look at the problem area. If you truly do not have a tooth pain emergency, it will save you time and money to instead take over-the-counter pain medication and make an appointment with your dentist.
Going to the emergency room can be costly. Limit your fees by taking a moment to understand your mouth pain and decide whether it is ER-worthy. But if you have no idea why you have tooth pain and are having trouble staying conscious, then you should not wait any longer to go to the emergency room.
Tooth pain and you
What this decision comes down to is the way you feel. When you have tooth pain, try taking pain relievers, and then determine what level of pain you feel on a scale from one to 10.
If you decide that you do not need to go to the ER but still want the problem addressed as soon as possible, seek after-hours emergency dental services. Not all dentists offer this service, so it is wise to find an emergency dentist before you need one.
Overall, if you are not feeling well due to tooth pain, do not avoid the ER for fear of having to pay more money. Your safety and comfort is always more important. You will likely know when something is off with your body and just not right. To decrease the risk of tooth pain in the future, call our skilled dentists to schedule your next check-up.
Contact us today to learn more about dentistry and possible reasons you may be experiencing tooth pain.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Advanced Dentistry Of Walnut Creek, request an appointment in our Walnut Creek dental office here: //www.dentistrywalnutcreek.com. Or call us at (925) 937-2273.
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Dental Emergencies and the ER
Estimates are that more than 800,000 Americans will go to the ER this year for a dental emergency. Although a hospital ER is certainly the place to go for a broken bone, a deep cut or symptoms of a heart attack, it simply is not equipped to handle a knocked out tooth, a fractured tooth or a tooth needing immediate extraction.
Going to the ER for any of these dental conditions will not only leave the situation mostly untreated, but will also cost a pretty penny. In addition to the ER bill, you’ll also have to pay a dentist or oral surgeon for the appropriate treatment.
Avoiding Dental Emergencies
Now you know that an ER is not the place to go in case of a dental emergency. Is there a way to avoid having a dental emergency in the first place? Yes. In most instances, a dental emergency could have been avoided simply by seeing your dentist for regular dental checkups.
Preventive dentistry guards against a costly trip to the ER, which can cost as much if not more than a few years of checkups. These twice-yearly visits aren’t just for teeth cleaning. They also give the dentist a chance to catch a problem—decay, a cracked tooth, a loose filling—before the situation becomes serious.
When Should You Go to the ER?
If your emergency involves a traumatic facial injury that is causing severe swelling, bleeding or a possible broken jaw, then you should go to an emergency room before seeing your dentist.
However, if you’ve had a mild toothache for a while that has become severe, call your dentist right away. A toothache could be a sign of serious infection. Your dentist can prescribe an antibiotic and pain medication, and he will probably want to see you as soon as possible for treatment.
You never know if a painful tooth may require emergency tooth extraction in Cambridge, so please contact your oral surgeon for care that you cannot receive in an ER.
About the Author
Dr. Jeff Lee is a dental implant dentist and certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon based in Cambridge, OH. At his practice, he helps patients who are in the midst of different dental emergencies. You can contact him through his website.
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