Saw this article about a kid who knocked out a tooth skateboarding, and it got me thinking… The piece talked about how the ER just gave him some ibuprofen and sent him home, but his mom had to scramble to find a dentist who could see him same-day. Apparently, there’s a shortage of after-hours dental care, and people are stuck using ice packs and over-the-counter meds for hours (or days). I remember chipping a molar in college and just living off smoothies and Tylenol for a weekend—honestly, the pain was almost worse than the break.
Is this just a thing we all have to deal with? Or have you found any tricks for making dental injuries more bearable until you get seen? Curious if anyone’s ER actually helped, or if it’s always just “take some painkillers and wait.”
Man, dental pain is its own special kind of awful, right? I had a wisdom tooth crack in the middle of the night once, and the ER basically shrugged and gave me some prescription-strength ibuprofen. I remember thinking, “Isn’t there, like, a magic shot you guys can give me?” But nope—just told to call my dentist in the morning. I ended up chewing on ice chips and watching bad TV for hours.
I’m curious—has anyone actually gotten something stronger or more helpful at the ER for tooth stuff? Or is it always just “here’s some pain meds, good luck”? Also, has anyone tried those temporary filling kits from the pharmacy? I’ve always wondered if they’re worth it or just a placebo for your mouth.
I actually did get something a bit stronger once—ended up with a couple days’ worth of Tylenol with codeine after a particularly gnarly abscess. But honestly, it barely took the edge off and just made me sleepy. ERs seem pretty stingy with the heavy stuff unless you’re in really rough shape. As for those temp filling kits, I tried one when a chunk of tooth fell out during vacation... it held up for a day but tasted weird and felt like Play-Doh. Better than nothing, but definitely not a long-term fix.
I totally get what you mean about the temp filling kits.
—I had the same experience last year when I chipped a molar right before payday. It’s kind of unsettling not knowing if it’ll pop out at any moment. I’m always worried about costs too, so I try to stretch out those quick fixes, but yeah… nothing beats an actual dentist visit, even if it means a tight budget for a while. You did what you had to do, honestly.it held up for a day but tasted weird and felt like Play-Doh
—I had the same experience last year when I chipped a molar right before payday.
That weird taste from temp fillings is so real—I kept thinking it was going to dissolve or something while I slept. I’ve only had one chipped tooth, but the waiting was honestly the worst part, just worrying about it getting worse or infected. Ibuprofen barely touched the pain for me, either.
