If a toothache has you searching for a dentist, it has earned a same-day appointment. Call (385) 480-0270 and our 4500 South office in Salt Lake City sets a time aside for you today. One of our dentists takes the X-ray, names the cause and fixes it, all before you leave. Phone ahead; we don't accept walk-ins.
The $99 emergency exam fee is for patients paying without insurance. It covers a limited, problem-focused emergency exam and the X-ray needed to diagnose the tooth. Treatment is priced separately and quoted to you in writing before any work starts.
The whole visit, from X-ray to treatment, happens in our own office.
Same-day appointments · $99 exam + X-ray · Phones answered 24/7 · In network with four major plans
Signs you need toothache relief today
Pain that wakes you up is the clearest sign. A tooth that only twinges with ice cream can often wait a few days. A tooth that throbs on its own, with nothing touching it, usually means the nerve inside is inflamed, and that doesn't settle on its own.
Pain when you bite on one particular tooth, a pimple-like spot on the gum, a bad taste that keeps returning, or pain spreading into the ear all point the same direction.
Swelling changes the plan. Go to the nearest emergency room first when it's creeping toward the eye, sinking down the neck, or paired with a fever. Intermountain Medical Center sits on State Street at 5300 South, about 2 miles south of our office. Hospitals treat spreading infection; they generally don't treat the tooth itself. After the hospital has checked you over, the tooth is our job; call us.
What happens at your same-day visit
Toothaches lie, so the X-ray comes first. Pain from a lower molar can show up in the upper jaw, and a cracked tooth may look fine in a mirror.
One of our dentists then tests the tooth. Cold, tapping, biting on a small stick. The way the tooth reacts, matched against the X-ray, tells us whether the nerve is inflamed, infected or dead, whether there's a crack, or whether the trouble is actually the gum.
From there, the dentist explains what's going on and writes down the treatment and its price. Some toothaches end with a filling. Some need an emergency root canal to clear out the nerve. A tooth split through the root needs an emergency tooth extraction. Whatever it is, you see the number before you agree, and in most cases the work happens in the same chair that day.
Cost of toothache relief in Salt Lake City
Without insurance, the diagnostic part of the visit, meaning the exam and X-ray, is $99. Treatment is a separate line, quoted in writing before anything starts, and the figure depends on what the X-ray shows.
If yours is one of the four plans we're in network with, the exam and X-ray go on a claim to that plan. Cash, credit cards, CareCredit financing and credit union financing for larger treatments are all accepted. Our cost and insurance page maps the road from exam to written quote.
Why patients choose our 4500 South office
We keep same-day times open Monday through Wednesday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Thursday from 8:00 AM to noon. A call ahead means a chair is open and a dentist is waiting the moment you walk through the door.
Outside those hours a live answering service picks up (the phone is covered 24/7), notes your details, and the first opening on the next office day is held for you. We are in network with Delta Dental Premier, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah, SelectHealth and Cigna. Most other dental plans are out of network, and we submit the claim for you. There's parking on site, and CareCredit and credit union financing are available for larger treatments.
Toothache relief near you in the Salt Lake Valley
Our office is at 622 E 4500 South Ste 103, Salt Lake City, UT 84107, on the south side of 4500 South between State Street and 700 East, near Murray Park. From Millcreek, take 700 East south to 4500 South, about 6 to 10 minutes. Taylorsville patients come east on 4700 South over I-15, where it becomes 4500 South, then continue past State Street. From Midvale, State Street north to 4500 South is the simplest route, 9 to 14 minutes in normal traffic.
Frequently asked questions
Can you see me today for a toothache?
Yes, during office hours. Call (385) 480-0270 Monday through Wednesday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM or Thursday 8:00 AM to noon, and we hold a same-day time. Call after hours and the answering service logs your details so the first opening on the next office day can be held for you. We can't take you without a call, so phone before you set out.
How do I get through the night before my appointment?
Pain relievers from the drugstore, taken the way the label says, get many people to morning. Rinse with warm salt water, avoid hot, cold or sweet food on that side, and sleep with your head propped up. None of that fixes the cause, so don't cancel the appointment if the pain eases.
Will antibiotics fix my toothache?
Not by themselves. Antibiotics may quiet an infection temporarily, but its source sits inside or around the tooth, and the pain comes back once the pills run out. If there's an infection, our dentists treat it directly; see dental abscess treatment.
Does a toothache mean I'll lose the tooth?
Often, no. Many painful teeth are kept with a filling or a root canal. The X-ray and the dentist's tests decide whether the tooth can be saved, and you'll hear each option with its written price before choosing.