ER vs Emergency Dentist: How to Choose between Them

You’re playing a competitive game of basketball with your friends. Your teammate passes you the ball, and you make your move toward the hoop. Despite having a defender close by, you shoot, confident that you’ll score. As you land, the defender’s elbow hits you in the mouth. Play stops as your friends gather around to make sure you’re all right. Your mouth is bleeding slightly and one of your teeth has been chipped from the impact. You know that you need to get urgent help, but do you need to go to the emergency room or your emergency dentist?

These situations can be stressful to say the least, and your first instinct may be pointing you toward the ER; however, the doctors there often do not have the training or equipment to help you in a dental emergency. They can alleviate pain, but they will not be able to perform emergency dentistry. Basically, you’ll just be wasting your time, energy, and money with the ER visit. Other times, however, more serious medical treatment may be needed before addressing your teeth. In this blog post, you’ll learn when you should go to the ER and when you should call your dentist.

When You Should Go to the ER

If you’ve sustained a severe injury to the mouth, your teeth may be the least of your worries in the immediate future. For example, most dental bleeding stops within 10 minutes. Keep track of the duration, and if you find that your oral bleeding continues even after this time limit, it’s time to visit the ER because this problem could indicate a more serious condition. In the case of broken bones in the face or jaw, these injuries need to be treated before your dentist can start to fix your smile.   

When You Should Contact Your Emergency Dentist

In most dental emergencies, your first call should be to your dentist. They can get you on their schedule as soon as possible and also provide tips for dealing with your situation until you arrive. Some of the situations in which you should immediately call your dentist are as follows:

• Broken or chipped tooth.
• Knocked-out tooth.
• Severe toothache.
• Lost or broken restoration like a filling or crown.
• An abscess or collection of pus under the gums.

In the end, no matter your circumstances, try to stay calm. Panicking will only cloud your judgment. If you find yourself in the middle of a dental emergency, and you don’t know where you should turn for help, give your dentist a call. They can steer you in the right direction and help you get the treatment you need to be whole again.

About the Practice

At Boyles General Dentistry, father-and-son team Dr. Franklin and Dr. Stephen Boyles offer emergency services for smiles in need. They are both highly trained and experienced. Dr. Franklin has achieved Fellowship status with the Academy of General Dentistry, and Dr. Stephen is an active member of the West Texas Academy of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the International Congress of Oral Implantology. If you have questions about dental emergencies, you can contact them here.