A toothache can happen suddenly without any warning, causing a severe and intense unbearable pain. If the reason for your tooth pain is due to some trauma or accident, then you must go to the emergency room. Sometimes an emergency room can be quite expensive, but if you have a dental insurance covering your dental plan, then there is no need to worry so much about the cost.
Should I go to the ER for a toothache?
Even if you have dental insurance plans going to the urgent care for a toothache is not that cheap. The tests and treatments will be higher. Hence, even if you can go to the ER for tooth pain, it is not the best option. The best option is to drop into some 24-hour dentist emergency near me services. The cost will be cheaper compared to dental emergency rooms.
Here are the disadvantages of going to the ER:
(1) It is not cheap to go to the emergency room to treat a toothache. The toothache treatments can cost you more compared to going to a dentist clinic. Co-pays will be extremely high. Therefore, you should see a dentist first to examine and then proceed with your treatments further.
(2) Urgent care departments are for emergencies. Therefore, adequate and sufficient equipment may not be available in an urgent care room.
(3) Emergency rooms in the hospital are created for medical emergencies. Hence, it won’t be worth to waste your money and time. If you know that some local dentist can take care of your tooth pain, then it is better to buy some painkiller over-the-counter to alleviate your pain and later, you can immediately make an appointment to visit your dentist.
(4) Furthermore, emergency rooms don’t give you appropriate facilities and care, which the local dentist could provide. Thus, your dentist must be your first preference. A toothache caused because of emergencies like an accident or trauma can be taken into consideration.
What is considered a dental emergency?
(1) You should not rush to an emergency room simply because you have a toothache. Here are the symptoms or a sign that classifies as a dental emergency. You should know the following signs before you rush to an emergency room. If your toothache is just due to a minor problem, then there is no need to go to the ER.
(2) Sometimes stuck food particles between your teeth can cause a toothache. In such cases, use warm water to rinse your mouth and floss away. Use a cold compress to reduce swollen cheeks. If your tooth pain persists, then you can go to the emergency room.
(3) If a chipped or broken tooth happens, then use warm water to wash your mouth and the chipped tooth and then apply gauze piece immediately. Broken teeth can require urgent medical treatment.
(4) A loose tooth filling will need a dental emergency. A lost crown must also not be ignored. Get relief from a toothache using some home remedies and then take appropriate medical treatments.
(5) Severe dental abscesses can be life-threatening and in such cases, it is very important to go to the urgent care. Severe toothaches are mainly because of the formation of an abscess and you can’t get relief from a toothache by using just painkillers. A dental abscess may require additional antibiotic treatment. Therefore, in critical cases such as abscess, you can go to an emergency room.