Dental emergencies strike when you least expect them. When this occurs, it can be difficult to discern in the heat of the moment whether to visit an emergency room or an emergency dentist. Whether it’s a sudden toothache before an important event, an abscess or infection that’s causing discomfort, or a knocked-out, cracked, or chipped tooth, staying calm and knowing which location to go to can make all the difference in both the success of your treatment and your safety. At Ocean Blue Dental Group in Red Bank, NJ, our team is trained, equipped, and ready to provide same-day emergency dental care with compassion and precision, but not all emergencies are suited for the dentist. Here are some ways to tell if your emergency is for the dentist, the emergency room, or both.
What Does an Emergency Dentist Treat?
Dentists treat urgent, non-life-threatening issues in an emergency, including severe pain, knocked-out or broken teeth, abscesses and swelling, lost fillings and crowns, and soft tissue injuries. Common treatments include emergency extractions, root canals, pain management, and repairing damage to restore oral health.
Some key dental emergencies and their treatment options are:
- Knocked-Out or Dislodged Teeth: replanting or stabilizing teeth, often requiring immediate, fast-acting treatment
- Severe Toothaches: diagnosing and treating extreme pain, often caused by infection or damaged pulp
- Abscesses/Infections: draining pus, cleaning, and prescribing antibiotics to prevent the spread of infection, which can be life-threatening
- Broken, Cracked, or Chipped Teeth: repairing fractures or performing emergency restorations
- Lost or Damaged Restorations: repairing or replacing lost fillings or crowns – Severe Soft Tissue Injuries: treating deep cuts in the cheek, tongue, or lips, and addressing heavy bleeding
Which Dental Symptoms Call for an ER Visit?
Emergency rooms treat, stabilize, and provide pain relief for severe, life-threatening dental emergencies, but they do not perform restorative dental work like fillings or crowns. ERs handle intense infections and abscesses, severe swelling of the jaw or neck, uncontrollable bleeding, and traumatic injuries like broken facial bones or jaw fractures. Some dental issues that should be treated in the ER are:
- Severe Infections/Abscesses: infections that cause significant swelling, fever, or that threaten the airway
- Severe Facial/Jaw Trauma: fractured jaws, deep lacerations to the face or mouth, and broken facial bones
- Uncontrollable Bleeding: mouth injuries that do not stop bleeding
- Knocked-Out Tooth: if accompanied by, or resulting from, trauma
When Would You Need An Emergency Room and Emergency Dental Care?
You need both an emergency room and emergency dental care when a dental issue causes life-threatening symptoms that a dentist cannot treat, such as severe infections blocking airways, uncontrollable bleeding after surgery, or fractured jawbones from trauma. The ER handles stabilizing vital signs, breathing, and stopping blood loss, while the dentist treats the underlying tooth or mouth injury.
In the event of an extreme emergency, go to the ER first. If you have severe facial trauma, a high fever with dental abscess swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, the ER is necessary for stabilization. Then, seek emergency dental care immediately after. Once stabilized, you must see an emergency dentist to treat the damaged tooth, perform an extraction, or address the root cause of the infection, as the ER cannot fix dental issues.
Ocean Blue Dental Group: Your Emergency Dentist in Red Bank
At Ocean Blue Dental Group, we treat every patient like family and believe that you deserve a dental team that’s both highly skilled and deeply compassionate, no matter the
occasion. Located in the heart of Red Bank, NJ, our office blends Manhattan-trained expertise with a calm, ocean-inspired environment—the perfect combination when you need urgent care. If you suspect needing immediate care, call us at 732-576-0626. Our team is ready to help! For other non-urgent inquiries or to learn more about our available dental services, schedule a consultation with Dr. John Sabat or email us at oceanbluedentalgroup@gmail.com. We look forward to welcoming you to Ocean Blue Dental Group!