A sudden toothache, broken tooth, or knocked-out tooth can happen when you least expect it. When you're in pain, your first instinct may be to head to the nearest emergency room. But is that really the best place for a dental emergency?
The answer depends on what's causing the problem. While hospital emergency rooms are equipped to handle life-threatening medical emergencies, they're usually not able to treat the dental issue itself. In most cases, visiting an emergency dentist in Portland will get you the care you need faster, relieve your pain, and often save your tooth.
When Should You Visit an Emergency Dentist?
Most dental emergencies require treatment from a dentist because they have the specialized equipment and training needed to diagnose and repair problems affecting your teeth, gums, and jaw.
You should contact an emergency dentist right away if you're experiencing:
- A severe toothache
- A chipped or broken tooth
- A cracked tooth
- A knocked-out tooth
- A loose permanent tooth
- A lost filling or crown
- A painful dental abscess
- Swelling around a tooth or gums
- Pain after a recent dental procedure
Unlike an emergency room, your dentist can actually fix the problem instead of simply managing the symptoms.
When Should You Go to the Emergency Room?
There are situations where a hospital emergency room is absolutely the right choice.
Go to the emergency room or call 911 immediately if you have:
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- Severe facial trauma
- Heavy bleeding that won't stop
- A broken jaw
- Loss of consciousness after an injury
- Rapidly spreading swelling that's affecting your airway
- A high fever along with severe facial swelling
These conditions can become life-threatening and require immediate medical attention before any dental treatment can begin.
Why the Emergency Room Usually Can't Fix a Tooth
Many people are surprised to learn that most emergency rooms don't have dentists on staff.
ER physicians can often:
- Prescribe antibiotics for an infection
- Help manage severe pain
- Stop uncontrolled bleeding
- Treat facial injuries
However, they generally cannot:
- Repair a broken tooth
- Perform an emergency root canal
- Replace a lost filling or crown
- Drain a dental abscess
- Reimplant a knocked-out tooth
- Restore damaged teeth
In many cases, the emergency room will simply recommend that you schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist as soon as possible.
Common Dental Emergencies That Should Be Treated by a Dentist
Severe Toothache
A persistent toothache is often your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Deep decay, infection, cracked teeth, or damaged fillings can all cause significant pain.
If you're experiencing ongoing discomfort, visit our page on emergency toothache relief to learn more about treatment options.
Chipped or Broken Tooth
Whether you bit into something hard or suffered an accident, a chipped or broken tooth should be evaluated quickly. Even a small crack can expose the inner portion of the tooth and lead to infection if left untreated.
Learn more about treatment for a chipped or broken tooth.
Dental Abscess
A dental abscess is one of the most serious dental emergencies. It often causes severe pain, swelling, a bad taste in the mouth, and sometimes fever.
Without treatment, the infection can spread beyond your tooth and affect other parts of your body.
If you think you have an infection, don't wait. Our dental abscess treatment page explains the signs and available treatment options.
Lost Filling or Crown
A missing filling or loose crown may not seem like an emergency at first, but it leaves your tooth exposed to bacteria and further damage.
Prompt treatment can help prevent additional decay or even the need for a root canal.
Learn how we repair lost fillings and dental crowns.
Tooth Infection
If infection reaches the inner pulp of your tooth, an emergency root canal may be the best way to eliminate pain while saving your natural tooth.
Our goal is always to preserve your tooth whenever possible before considering extraction.
What You Should Do Before Your Appointment
If you're dealing with a dental emergency, here are a few steps you can take while traveling to the dentist:
- Rinse gently with warm salt water.
- Apply a cold compress to reduce swelling.
- Save any broken pieces of your tooth.
- If a tooth has been knocked out, hold it by the crown (not the root) and keep it moist in milk if possible.
- Avoid chewing on the injured side of your mouth.
Most importantly, don't ignore the pain. Dental problems rarely resolve on their own and often become more serious the longer they're left untreated.
Fast Treatment Can Save Your Tooth
One of the biggest advantages of seeing an emergency dentist instead of visiting the ER is receiving immediate treatment that addresses the actual cause of your pain.
At Portland Emergency Dentist, we provide same-day emergency care whenever possible for patients experiencing:
- Severe tooth pain
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Dental infections
- Root canal emergencies
- Lost fillings and crowns
- Jaw pain and facial injuries
- Dental trauma
Our experienced team uses advanced digital imaging and modern treatment techniques to quickly diagnose the problem and get you feeling better.
Need Emergency Dental Care in Portland?
If you're experiencing a dental emergency, don't spend hours waiting in an emergency room only to be referred somewhere else afterward.
Our team at Portland Emergency Dentist provides fast, compassionate emergency dental care for patients throughout Portland and the surrounding communities. Whether you're suffering from a painful toothache, dental infection, chipped tooth, or need an emergency root canal, we're here to help.
Contact us today to request a same-day appointment and receive the emergency treatment you need before the problem becomes worse.