There is no Emergency Room for Teeth
(At least in the US - if another country does have a 24/7 Dental ER let me know so I can begin the immigration process to a clearly-superior healthcare system.)
We've all seen the reminders to brush your teeth on here, and wondered 'Okay but what's the worst case scenario here? I hate tooth cleanings and fillings, and I've been fine so far, even if that one tooth does seem to be a little off'.
Admittedly, it's easy to think avoidance is a winning strategy because in almost all other areas of health, if shit REALLY hits the fan at any hour of the day, you can go to the ER. They'll at least be able to get you some painkillers (if it hurts) & start trying to figure out what's wrong. It sucks if that happens at 3 AM, and you might wait while they help other worse-off people, and it can be expensive and stressful, but it's still possible to get some help eventually.
THAT IS NOT THE CASE FOR TEETH. Emergency rooms don't deal in teeth; the best they can do is pull the damaged tooth. (Replacing a single completely missing tooth later would cost about $3-4k, fyi.)
So if, let's say, your tooth randomly starts radiating excruciating pain at 10 PM on a Thursday - there is nothing anyone can do.*
The best case scenario at this point is to have an existing relationship with a local dentist. They should be able to get you in for an emergency visit the following day to determine what's wrong, prescribe you antibiotics/pain meds, and otherwise make the waiting period until you can get fixed up as comfortable as possible.
This is why it's crucial to have a dentist you go to for cleanings - both to avoid emergencies, and because in an emergency most walk-in dental clinics WILL NOT give you pain meds.
No, those 'emergency dentists' you may have seen and vaguely mentally equated to ERs aren't actually open 24/7**; and even when they are open, their primary role is to refer you somewhere else. I was referred on a Friday and just got my procedure done this Wednesday.
All healthcare is important, but I really cannot overstate that even if you rely on mostly "ignore it until something goes wrong", get regular dental care. And if anyone else has a bad tooth/teeth and is thinking "well, that's great but I'm already screwed" - it is never too late!! Every stage before this point, if I had gotten treatment, would've been cheaper & less painful. I missed 4 days of work - scheduling the root canal before I was in pain would've taken 1 day & avoided a week of hell. Getting a filling before it got too bad would've taken 2 hours and saved hundreds of dollars.
There are also payment plans, and most dentists/endodontists are VERY up front about expense because they know how hit-or-miss dental insurance can be. Several dentists I looked at had special pseudo-insurance policies that covered 2 cleanings & an emergency visit for like, $50 yearly. If you need help finding care, DM and I am happy to research, because I'd love to help even one person avoid the week I just had!
*If this unfortunately happens to you, ask your doc or research how to SAFELY layer ibuprofen and acetaminophen together. DO NOT drink alcohol when doing this you WILL fuck your liver.
**I assume some very large cities such as NY or LA may actually have 24/7 dentistry available, but this happened to me in the 14th largest city in the US so like. You're probably fucked.
