Avoid the Emergency Room for Emergency Dentistry

If at all possible, you should not go to the Emergency Room (ER) at your local hospital for emergency dental service. That may seem counterintuitive, but just because you are having a dental emergency, it does not mean that the Emergency Room is the best place for treatment. In fact, most patients who go to the ER when they experience a dental emergency wish they had gone to a dentist in the first place.

Why not the ER for Dental Problems?

First of all, although all dentists are doctors, not all doctors are dentists. Most ER doctors are able to fix broken jaws and suture a damaged tongue or oral tissues, but the vast majority have never pulled a tooth, never done a root canal, and don’t even have the equipment available to do a filling. If you’ve ever been to the ER, have you ever noticed a dental chair or any dental equipment? That’s because most hospitals don’t plan on doing any dental work or dental surgery.

What Happens if I Take a Dental Problem to the ER?

If the ER is busy, a dental issue is going to be very low on the triage list of problems. A heart attack is obviously more perilous than a toothache. Therefore, going to the ER is a guarantee that your problem is going to be at the end of the line.

Since most doctors are not dentists, they have little experience with dental problems, and often don’t have the equipment available for fixing teeth. Therefore, the typical ER procedure for dental emergencies involves a prescription for pain and a referral to a local dentist. So your pain may end up lessened, but your pocketbook will be lighter quite a few dollars just to be told you need to go sit in a dental chair. Therefore, if you’re experiencing toothache, oral pain, or a broken or dislodged tooth, the best thing to do is find a dentist.

Emergency Dental Service at Tahquitz Dental Group

The Tahquitz Dental Group of Palm Springs is open Monday through Thursday. If you experience a dental emergency on those days, call us and we will do everything possible to get you in. Unless your dental situation is urgent and taking place when our dentist is unavailable, there really is no point in going to the ER first.

Even more important is to realize that if you are experiencing tooth pain, it will not go away on its own. Toothache is a symptom of serious disease. It means that a tooth is infected, that tissues are inflamed, or that your jaw has an abscess. All of these problems are dangerous and they can even be life-threatening. Don’t delay dental treatment! Fixing dental issues the moment they start to arise always saves you pain and money. The Tahquitz Dental Group is here to help.