Can you go to the ER for a toothache?

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  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I live in England so it would be free to go to the ER (or A&E as we call it) but I'm not sure what they'd do for toothache. Possibly give you antibiotics if it's infected.

    Dental treatment is free until you're 18, but if you get an NHS dentist after that you still have to pay, although I think it's around £16 for a check-up and maybe £30 if you need a filling. I couldn't get an NHS dentist so had to go private, but even so it's not too expensive. I had to have my wisdom teeth out a few years ago but that was free as I had it done at hospital. Sucks that you have to pay so much for medical/dental treatment in the US.

    I'd say try and see a dentist as soon as you can.
  • VanessaHeartsMasr
    VanessaHeartsMasr Posts: 727
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    Good lord! People are jerks!! I'm guessing 99% of you have never had an excruciating toothache before. I can honestly say it's hurts almost as bad as having contractions, and I've had 3 kids. OP, yes, an ER will see you for a toothache. I have been to the ER before when I had an abscessed tooth. They gave me a local block to numb up my mouth so I could get a little relief from the pain for a few hours, some antibiotics, and some pain medication to take home with me. They also should have lists of free or low-cost dentists in your area that you can call to take care of it. They might even be able to set up an emergency appointment at one of them for you. I completely understand where you are coming from having health insurance but no dental insurance. Sorry about your pain. :(

    Edit to add, I am a medical transcriptionist for a large emergency hospital in my area. I edit dictations on people coming to the ER for toothaches on almost a nightly basis.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    My ER visit for food poisoning cost me $1,800, if I'd waited a few hours and gone to my family doctor it would have cost me my $25 copay.

    Go to your dentist, get it fixed, get your teeth cleaned and start flossing.

    FYI, that $25 co-pay doesn't take into account the extra cost of premiums that you would not have had to pay if HMOs/PPOs had never came about in the first place.
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Go to your dentist, write them a cheque if you have to! If it bounces, it bounces, by then your tooth will feel better and you can work out some way to pay them. Or borrow money from your folks if you don't have it yourself!

    ETA: I wouldn't do this myself because I wouldn't have to but hell if I was poor and in pain I'd make it work somehow, I'd organise some kind of payment plan with the dentist!
  • FallingInLoveWithMe
    FallingInLoveWithMe Posts: 92 Member
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    I went with my friend's son to dental ER when he fell off his bike and knocked out a tooth.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.

    ER here is completely bulk billed, the dentist is not...
    Btw no need to get so snide, I'm on the other side of the world.
  • doitforabby
    doitforabby Posts: 137 Member
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    As everyone else said - yes you can go to ER, but a dentist is the best option - I know my ER copay is $60 and I work in a dental office - $100 for ER visit including xrays you will need anyways - so that would be on top of your ER visit -

    Being a student - are you possibly still covered under your parents dental insurance? If not, maybe you can borrow the $ from them? or someone? It really will get worse if left untreated. Good luck!
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.

    Maybe they're Canadian. Which would mean it's free.

    :grumble: :grumble:

    Nope. Australian.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
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    My coworker just did. But it was on a Saturday so she couldnt see a real dentist.
  • IamNhappy
    IamNhappy Posts: 88 Member
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    I've worked in the ER for some odd years-- yeah you can go- If you have an inf they will give you antibiotics and pain killers and advise you to f/u with your dentist. ONLY if it is LIFE THREATENING(meaning you will die from a serious inf within the next couple of hours*rare*) will they surgically remove it in the ER. Check for charity at local facilities or income based offices for dentist.
  • jessicaw79
    jessicaw79 Posts: 26 Member
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    I had an abscess in my tooth and it was worth than childbirth, I know the pain. My dentist couldn't see me for 3 days but til then she said take 3 advil every 5 hours and gave me antibiotics. Honestly it was the antibiotics that made the pain go away more than the pain killers...but you'll have to (obviously) take care of the tooth sooner rather than later. Good luck to you!
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.

    That's nice. Anyone with any medical knowledge is aware that toothaches can be a result of a severe infection which can be life threatening. Furthermore, some people don't have a choice. Hopefully judgmental individuals will never have to go through such worries. I'm not for people abusing the ER system, but sounds like she has a legitimate medical issue.

    Actually tell that to you rmedical insurance....medical insurance more than 90% of the time will not cover a ER visit if it is not a life threating reason for going. ALSO, the ER has a deductable and if she has a deductable for her insurance and doesn't use it very often she'd be charged more, plus the co-pay, plus the co-pay for the meds. I know b/c I work for the hospital, and know the billing and have had a tooth problem and had to use medical which covered it only b/c it was a boney impacted wisdom tooth. Other than that you get the ER bill and she already said she didn't have money so why would she go to the ER where she is wasting the nurses and doctor's time and taking away from people who might actually be dying. It's a toothache and it didn't just happen i'm sure she knew about it and if she can't wait 8hrs for a dentist that's ridiculous.
  • WhoTheHellIsBen
    WhoTheHellIsBen Posts: 1,238 Member
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    find a community health center that also has a dental staff( it's 2am, you have a computer, google, and I'm assuming nothing else going on atm) go there first thing in the am when they open and inquire about emergency visit hours( they are usually first thing in the am which is why you'll go instead of call). They will see you for free or at a sliding scale reduced rate that you can be billed for later provided you're poor, if you're not poor they will make fun of you after you leave for spending money on everything but your health( how's that iPhone btw?). After that they will recommend you actually take care of your teeth and invest a little money in them here and there as preventative maintenance ( say, that's a nice computer, how much did that cost?) and you will be on your way
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    AGAIN

    if the tooth is infected, the dentist can't freeze it anyway! No freeze=no dental work.... OP will either have to see a doctor (ER or otherwise) or her dentist, just for an antibiotic RX.
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.
    Who give a sh** who you hate? I am assuming you are saying you are a medical professional. Aren't you supposed to really care that people are in pain?

    Not when you're taking away from ppl who could be dying b/c you have a f*cking toothache
  • nikinyx6
    nikinyx6 Posts: 772 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.
    Who give a sh** who you hate? I am assuming you are saying you are a medical professional. Aren't you supposed to really care that people are in pain?

    Not when you're taking away from ppl who could be dying b/c you have a f*cking toothache

    ER visits are coded and prioritized...a heart attack will always trump a toothache...leave it to the professionals to sort priorities, it's not your call
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.

    That's nice. Anyone with any medical knowledge is aware that toothaches can be a result of a severe infection which can be life threatening. Furthermore, some people don't have a choice. Hopefully judgmental individuals will never have to go through such worries. I'm not for people abusing the ER system, but sounds like she has a legitimate medical issue.

    Actually tell that to you rmedical insurance....medical insurance more than 90% of the time will not cover a ER visit if it is not a life threating reason for going. ALSO, the ER has a deductable and if she has a deductable for her insurance and doesn't use it very often she'd be charged more, plus the co-pay, plus the co-pay for the meds. I know b/c I work for the hospital, and know the billing and have had a tooth problem and had to use medical which covered it only b/c it was a boney impacted wisdom tooth. Other than that you get the ER bill and she already said she didn't have money so why would she go to the ER where she is wasting the nurses and doctor's time and taking away from people who might actually be dying. It's a toothache and it didn't just happen i'm sure she knew about it and if she can't wait 8hrs for a dentist that's ridiculous.

    Our insurance it's based on whether or not you are admitted to the hospital. If you are admitted, then it's no charge for the ER visit. If you are not admitted, then it's a $100 fee.

    This has been the case for every insurance plan I've ever had.
  • Spatialized
    Spatialized Posts: 623 Member
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    Can you go to the ER for a toothache? Yes. Be prepared to be judged as toothaches are a common excuse addicts use as a way to get pain meds. They will see you, it is mandated by law (EMTALA) to have a medical screening exam. They can see if you have a regular toothache or something more severe, like an abcess that can become life-threatening (saw a simple abcess trurn into a raging case of endocarditis w/sepsis). Odds are good you will get some pain killers and maybe some antibiotics and suggestion to go see your dentist first thing.

    Should you go to the ER? Can you tough it out until the dentists open in the AM? If you can, do it. It's not worth going to ER if you can tough it out. If you can't, see above.

    Should you call an ambulance to take you to the ER? For God's sake, no. It's for transporting life-threatneing emergencies, not a medical taxi.

    FYI, very few ERs have dental services on-call you would have to be in a large city, at a trauma center-type institution to have that breadth of specialists on-call to the ER. We go weekends without cardiology services on-call at ours much less dentistry.

    Good luck, tooth stuff sucks!
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
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    If you can't afford to see a dentist how do you think you can afford the ER? If you walked into our ER with a toothache we'd all hate you.
    Who give a sh** who you hate? I am assuming you are saying you are a medical professional. Aren't you supposed to really care that people are in pain?

    Not when you're taking away from ppl who could be dying b/c you have a f*cking toothache

    ER visits are coded and prioritized...a heart attack will always trump a toothache...leave it to the professionals to sort priorities, it's not your call

    This.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    If this is an obviously needing to be pulled tooth... the ER won't be much help (I'm saying this under the impression that you knew you had a tooth issue, and it has gotten worse).

    If you're having jaw pain/numbness/really, really bad pain however, you probably should. I thought *I* had dental pain, called a nurse just to check... and here I've been in the hospital for a TIA for four days. :laugh:

    That being said, I'm off the forums now so I don't stress myself out... but I had to come on since this is the "talked about" post today on everyone's feeds... but it's funny, because I thought my issue was just a dental thing that made a nurse "by protocol" refer me to the ER... and it revealed a host of unexpected problems!

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