Should I Go to the ER for a Dental Emergency?

You probably think an ER is best for most medical emergencies. If so, you’re right —this hospital department has experienced doctors and nurses who can treat all sorts of things. However, things change when you’re facing a dental emergency. In that scenario, you should see your emergency dentist as soon as possible. Compared to a hospital, they’d give you a higher quality of oral care. To learn more, here’s a summary of why an ER isn’t ideal for dental emergencies and why to see a dentist instead.

An ER isn’t Best for a Dental Emergency

ER treatment for a dental emergency has more downsides than upsides. These include:

It’ll Cost You More than a Dental Exam

An ER could offer some help to your dental issue, but they’d charge you more than a dentist would. Research shows that one emergency room trip can be as costly as several years’ worth of dental exams. Spending that much money for what could be a mere toothache or chipped tooth simply isn’t cost-effective. More importantly, paying that price could strain your finances.

Most ERs Can’t Perform Dentistry

If you don’t already know, it’s illegal for non-dentists to perform tooth extractions, cavity fillings, or any restorative dental care. Even so, most emergency rooms don’t have a dentist on staff or call. Those that do, meanwhile, are extremely rare and hard to come by.

Since they aren’t trained dentists, emergency room doctors can’t do much for urgent oral issues. At most, they could provide you with antibiotics or painkillers. Still, these wouldn’t solve the root of your problem. To do that, you’d need to visit your dentist.

Better Care with an Emergency Dentist

An emergency dentist is specifically trained to handle urgent tooth-and-gum conditions. Furthermore, unlike ER doctors, dentistry is their primary focus. Given these facts, dental visits are cheaper and more effective at solving dental emergencies. In other words, you should see a dentist the next time you injure a tooth or suffer an infection in your teeth or gums.

If you have trauma around your face or outside your mouth, go ahead and visit an ER. For something involving your pearly whites, though, get to your emergency dentist right away!

About the Practice

Premier Walk-in Dental is based in Rockledge, FL. As led by Dr. Sowmya Kumar, the practice seeks to make dental care both comfortable and practical. Therefore, its staff offers customized preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, as well as treatments for dental emergencies. All such services use the latest dental technology, so you can trust you’ll receive quality results. For more information or to book an appointment, you can reach them at their website or by phone at (321)-631-4334.