It’s 11 at night. Your tooth is throbbing so hard you can feel your pulse in it. Nothing’s open, so you start thinking about the emergency room.
Sometimes that’s exactly the right move. Most of the time, though, the ER can’t fix a toothache. Here’s why, and how to tell which kind of night you’re having.
What the ER Can and Can't Do for a Toothache
Hospital ERs are built for heart attacks, broken bones, and car wrecks. They’re not set up to drill, fill, or pull teeth. The American Dental Association notes that ERs can offer pain relief and treat infection, but few hospitals have dentists on staff. So the tooth itself usually doesn’t get fixed.
A typical ER visit for a toothache ends with pain medicine, maybe antibiotics, and a note to see a dentist. The tooth that caused the problem is still there. So is the decay or crack inside it.
The ADA estimates there are more than 2 million ER visits for dental pain in the U.S. each year. It also says those visits cost about three times as much as a trip to the dentist.
The Antibiotic Loop
Here’s how it usually plays out. Someone goes to the ER with a bad tooth. They get antibiotics. The swelling goes down and the pain fades, so they figure it’s handled.
A few weeks later, it’s back. Antibiotics can calm an infection, but they can’t clean out the inside of a tooth. As long as the source is still there, the infection can return. The ADA says nearly 40% of these patients end up back in the ER. The real fix is a dental one, like a root canal to clean out the tooth or an extraction when it can’t be saved.
When the ER is the Right Call
Some tooth problems really do belong in the ER. Go now, or call 911, if you have any of these:
- Trouble breathing.
- Trouble swallowing, or you can't swallow your own spit.
- Swelling that's spreading toward your eye or down your neck.
- A high fever along with face or jaw swelling.
- A jaw injury, a hard hit to the head, or bleeding that won't stop.
These can mean an infection is spreading past the tooth. Our guide to what counts as a dental emergency covers the problems that can safely wait. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, says breathing trouble from this kind of mouth infection is an emergency. In Rexburg, the hospital ER is at Madison Memorial Hospital, 450 E Main St.
Once the ER gets you stable, you’ll still need a dentist for the tooth itself. Call us as soon as you’re out.
What About Urgent Care?
Urgent care costs less than the ER, but it has the same limit. Urgent care can check you, prescribe medicine, and send you to a dentist. It can’t treat the tooth itself.
For BYU-Idaho students, the Student Health Plan handbook calls urgent care a less expensive option than the ER when it fits. It lists a $25 copayment for urgent care and $50 for the ER. For a toothache with no red flags, though, the first stop that can actually fix it is a dentist.
What to Do Until We Open
If it’s not an ER night, warm salt water rinses, a cold pack, and an over-the-counter pain reliever can help you get to morning. Sleeping with your head propped up on an extra pillow can ease the throbbing too. Our tips for handling a dental emergency walk through first aid for each kind of problem.
Don’t wait out swelling that keeps getting bigger. That’s the kind that turns into an ER trip.
Call Us First Thing
Call (208) 400-9946 any time. After hours, the same number reaches our answering service.
We open at 8 AM on Monday, 9 AM Tuesday through Thursday, and 7 AM on Friday. We stay open until 7 PM on Monday and Tuesday. And we’re open Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM, so a Friday night toothache doesn’t have to last until Monday.
When you call, tell us which tooth hurts, how long it’s hurt, whether it wakes you up, and whether there’s swelling. That helps us decide how soon to see you. We keep room for same day dental emergencies and do our best to fit urgent cases in that day.
You don’t need to be a patient already. We see new emergency patients.
If a loose crown or lost filling started all this, our guide on what to do when a crown or filling comes loose covers the next steps.
ER and Toothache FAQs
Can the ER pull a tooth?
Usually not. ERs can give pain relief and antibiotics, then send you to a dentist for the actual fix. Call a dentist first unless you have trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or swelling that’s spreading.
Should I go to the ER for tooth swelling?
Go right away if the swelling is spreading toward your eye or neck, or if you have trouble breathing or swallowing. If the swelling stays near the tooth, call a dentist the same day at (208) 400-9946.
Is there an emergency dentist open on Saturday in Rexburg?
Yes. Family First Dental is open Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM at 286 E Moody Rd, Suite F. Call (208) 400-9946 as early as you can.
Will antibiotics fix a tooth infection?
They can calm it down for a while. They can’t remove the cause inside the tooth, so it often comes back. A root canal or an extraction treats the source.
Tooth pain that won’t quit? Call Family First Dental at (208) 400-9946 or book online. After hours, our answering service picks up at the same number.
