What to Do for A Dental Emergency

Table of Contents

Urgent dental problems have three options. The first step is to reach your nearest dental clinic. But if there is no availability, what needs to be done here is to contact emergency dental services. If this doesn’t work, you have the chance to go to a regular emergency room. However, a regular emergency room may not have dental equipment. Options should be evaluated according to the urgency of your toothache.

In this article, we’ll take a look at these situations and what to do if you encounter them. We hope to help you understand what your situation is and what you should do if you are in a suspicious situation.

Let’s take a look at some key points from the article before diving in:

  • DENTAL EMERGENCIES REQUIRE URGENT ATTENTION
  • COMMON EMERGENCIES INCLUDE GUM INJURIES, JAWLINE FRACTURES, UNCONTROLLED BLEEDING
  • TOOTHACHE LASTING FOR DAYS INDICATES EMERGENCY
  • EMERGENCY DENTAL CLINICS ARE THE BEST OPTION FOR URGENT DENTAL PROBLEMS
  • EMERGENCY ROOMS SHOULD BE YOUR LAST OPTION
  • DENTAL TRAUMAS, DENTAL ABSCESSES, OR ROOT CANAL TREATMENT ARE POSSIBLY COVERED BY INSURANCE
  • IN CASE OF FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, LOCAL DENTISTRY SCHOOLS OR CHARITIES MAY BE SUITABLE OPTIONS
  • THE PRICE COULD CHANGE FROM $75 TO $1500 DEPENDING ON THE TREATMENT

What Is Considered A Dental Emergency?

Let’s take a look at common dental emergencies:

  • GUM INJURIES
  • FRACTURED JAWLINE
  • UNCONTROLLED BLEEDING
  • BLEEDING OR PAIN AFTER TOOTH EXTRACTION
  • ABSCESS AND INFECTION SIGNS
  • BROKEN, CHIPPED, OR LOOSE TEETH
  • FALLEN TEETH
  • PAINFUL LOST FILLING OR CROWN


Dental emergencies are situations involving your teeth and gums that require urgent attention by a specialist. Dental issues should be taken care of immediately by emergency dental services.

Dental emergencies can interfere with your daily activities, reaching a level of intensity that even hinders your ability to sleep. You might also face situations where rapid intervention is crucial, such as dental injuries.

Where to Go for a Dental Emergency?

First, contact your dental clinic, if they are not available, try urgent dental care or dental emergency services.

If none of these work, your last option is the emergency room. However, we still advise you to take painkillers and schedule a regular appointment if your situation is not extremely urgent, as emergency rooms usually don’t have professionals designated for dental work. They also might not have the equipment your situation requires.

How to Get an Emergency Dental Appointment

If you are facing a dental emergency you can first try to go to the nearest dental clinic if it’s within their working hours. The clinic will arrange an appointment for you.

If it’s not during the clinic’s working hours, your other options will be either finding an emergency clinic that works after normal hours or going to the ER. For ER you don’t need an appointment, however, the emergency clinic will arrange an appointment for you when you call.

If your situation is extremely unbearable, you can try reaching out to a clinic and arrange an appointment for the next 24 hours. If you are unable to get an appointment at the clinic you normally go to, you can try contacting other dental clinics in your area.

How Does an Emergency Dentist Work?

The emergency dentist will start with a thorough examination, including medical history and diagnostic tests. If a procedure is needed, treatment is carried out after your consent.

Depending on your situation, they might also use anesthesia for pain relief and prescribe medication. To monitor progress, follow-up appointments will be scheduled and aftercare instructions will be provided. The goal is to handle dental emergencies quickly but effectively.

How Much Does Emergency Dental Cost?

If we take a look at the average prices, the table will be as below:

ProblemsProcedurePrice
Severe Tooth Cavity, InflammationRoot Canal$700-$1200

Chips and Cracks in Teeth

Dental Bonding$300-$600 (per tooth)
Tooth AbscessIncision and Drainage$200-$400
Tooth AbscessAspiration$100-$200
Tooth Cavity, Broken TeethPermanent Filling$110-$240
Teeth FractureTooth Extraction

$75-$600

Crown LossCrown Repair

$500-$1500

First of all, amongst many things, your geographical location will greatly affect the cost. If you live in a big city or if the cost of living is higher where you live, emergency dental care can cost more. Also, of course, if you have dental insurance, it can reduce the cost of the procedure.

Would the Insurance Cover the Dental Emergency?

Actually, there is no clear answer to this. It totally depends on your health insurance coverage and what kind of problem you have. Despite this, we can say that most health insurance fully or partially covers dental emergency care. Because these are serious and dangerous situations. If left untreated, they can cause more serious problems.

What Dental Emergencies Does the Insurance Cover?

Which dental emergencies your insurance covers changes regarding where you live and which company you’ve made a deal with. However, we’ve listed some dental urgencies that you’re insurance most possibly covers:

Dental traumas: These kinds of injuries are serious problems that require immediate interventions. There could be a lot of blood or the bone structure might be affected.

Dental abscess: Tooth abscess is also a very serious situation that requires treatment as soon as possible. They generally are covered by insurance fully or partially.

Root Canal Therapy: Root canal treatments are necessary applications in some cases to save the tooth and prevent infections from the spread. They are mostly covered by insurance.

What to Do in a Dental Emergency With No Money

Instead of ignoring an urgent dental problem because of financial difficulties, you can consult with local dental schools and charitable non-profit organizations.

You can also explore the payment plans provided by clinics and insurance companies to find a middle ground with these organizations.

Does My Travel Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Dental emergencies overseas can be stressful but not completely because now many travel health insurance plans also cover dental health. This means that they are also inclusive of dental emergency care. It is still useful to make a detailed examination and be sure, but dental emergencies overseas are usually covered by travel health insurance. Make sure you talk to your travel health insurance agency for detailed information as it can vary from agency to agency.

When Is Toothache an Emergency?

If toothache continues for more than a few days and the amount of pain is getting worse, it indicates an emergency. You might be suffering from a tooth cavity or other serious problem that is so advanced that it is putting pressure on your nerves. In this case, the pain will become unbearable and will prevent you from doing your daily work.

How to Stop Tooth Pain Fast During Emergencies

Since toothache can be quite uncomfortable, quick solutions are often wondered about.

Here are several at-home tooth pain relief methods to stop the discomfort fast until you see a dentist.

  • RINSE WITH WARM SALT WATER
  • OVER-THE-COUNTER PAIN RELIEVERS
  • HYDROGEN PEROXIDE RINSE
  • ELEVATING YOUR HEAD WHILE SLEEPING
  • COLD COMPRESS
  • CLOVE OIL/PIECE
  • GARLIC CLOVE
  • PEPPERMINT TEA
  • HOT SOCK TECHNIQUE
  • AVOID EXTREMELY HOT OR COLD FOODS/BEVERAGES

What Is the Best Pain Reliever for Toothache?

Among the best over-the-counter painkillers for toothache are ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen. Since these are non-opioid options, they’re safe for most people and you can use them without worrying too much about potential risks to your health.

What Not to Do in Case of an Emergency Toothache

What not to do in case of an emergency toothache is to panic.

First, take a deep breath and relax, bad thoughts won’t make anything better. Avoid doing the following:

  • TAKING RANDOM MEDICINE
  • POKING THE AREA WITH FINGERS OR OBJECTS
  • DON’T IGNORE THE PAIN, SEE A DENTIST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Can You Go to the Emergency Room for Tooth Pain?

You can go to the emergency room for a toothache, however, your pain might not always indicate an emergency. Plus, there is a good chance that the ER may not have enough dental equipment. So the best they can do is to prescribe some pain reliever and send you home. This, as you can expect, will not solve the underlying cause of the pain.

Hence, considering emergency dentists will be a better option for you.

Will the Insurance Cover ER for Toothache?

Whether ER visits for toothaches are covered by insurance depends on your specific insurance plan. That’s exactly why you need to pay attention when you buy insurance from private companies.

Read carefully if it covers dental emergencies such as a tooth abscess, tooth extraction, or root canal treatment.

Most insurance companies also cover X-rays and professional cleanings. The more you spend on insurance, the more coverage there is for damage.

However, you should still prefer a dental clinic for toothache and other dental problems when possible. After all, treatment in the emergency room can be more expensive and may not fully address the underlying dental problem.

References:

Stephens MB, Wiedemer JP, Kushner GM. Dental Problems in Primary Care. Am Fam Physician. 2018;98(11):654-660.

Roberts G, Scully C, Shotts R. Dental emergencies. West J Med. 2001 Jul;175(1):51–4. PMCID: PMC1071467 link

Roberts G, Scully C, Shotts R. ABC of oral health. Dental emergencies. BMJ. 2000 Sep 2;321(7260):559-62. doi: 10.1136/bmj.321.7260.559. PMID: 10968824; PMCID: PMC1118447.

Opioids & Dental Pain. www.nidcr.nih.gov. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/opioids

Hersh EV, Moore PA, Grosser T, et al. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Opioids in Postsurgical Dental Pain. Journal of Dental Research. 2020;99(7):777-786. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034520914254

NHS. Understanding NHS dental charges. nhs.uk. Published November 9, 2020. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/dental-costs/understanding-nhs-dental-charges/

Bani‐Hani TGh, Olegário IC, O’Connell AC. The cost of dental trauma management: A one‐year prospective study in children. Dental Traumatology. Published online May 19, 2020. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/edt.12561

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CONTACT US

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.