Emergency Dentist for Cleveland, TN

When to Call Us From Cleveland

We will be honest with you. Our closest office is in Ooltewah, about 25 to 30 minutes south of Cleveland on I-75. There are emergency-care options in Cleveland and Bradley County. For most Cleveland residents, those are the right first call.

There are situations where it makes sense to drive south anyway:

Your regular Cleveland dentist cannot fit you in today and the pain is not waiting.
You are already an established patient at our Ooltewah office and prefer to stay with us.
You commute from Cleveland to Chattanooga or Ooltewah for work and the drive is already part of your day.
You want a written cost estimate before any treatment starts and your local options are not giving you one.

If any of those describe you, call (423) 396-4222. We hold same-day emergency slots Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. We will tell you on the phone whether we can fit you in and how soon.

Where We Are: 25-30 Minutes South on I-75

Address: 9325 Apison Pike #119, Ooltewah, TN 37363

Phone: (423) 396-4222

Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Driving from Cleveland:

From the Lee University / Cleveland city center area, take I-75 south to Exit 11 (Ooltewah / Apison Pike). Head east on Apison Pike. Roughly 25 minutes in normal traffic.
From the Spring Place Rd / Bowman Rd area, take Spring Place to I-75 south. Same general route.
From the southwest side of Cleveland (Tasso, Charleston), the I-75 south route adds a few minutes.

Plan for closer to 35-40 minutes during weekday rush hour or on Friday afternoons. The office has parking in front. The entrance is at street level.

Directions

Google Business Profile Listing

When a Dental Issue Counts as an Emergency

Call us, or call any emergency dental option, right away if:

You have severe or unrelenting tooth pain
A tooth has been knocked out (time matters, within an hour the odds of saving it are good)
You see facial swelling, especially with fever
A tooth is broken with sharp edges or visible damage
A crown, filling, or bridge has come loose or fallen out
Bleeding has not stopped after 10 minutes of firm pressure
You took an impact to the mouth or jaw

Schedule a regular visit:

A small chip with no pain
Mild sensitivity to cold drinks
A spot in the mirror you noticed last week
A filling that just feels rough

First Aid Until You Reach Our Office

Knocked-out tooth: For a Cleveland resident with a knocked-out tooth, drive time matters more than which dentist you pick. Within an hour, the odds of saving the tooth are good. After three hours, the odds drop sharply. If a Cleveland-area dentist can see you in 20 minutes and we are 30 minutes away, call them. Either way: pick the tooth up by the crown, rinse with milk if you have it, store in milk if you cannot reinsert, and head to whoever can see you first.

Cracked tooth: Rinse with warm water, cold compress to the cheek, save tooth fragments. Drive time is less critical than for a knocked-out tooth.

Severe ache: Warm salt water rinse, gentle floss, ibuprofen with food, cold compress. Skip aspirin against the gum.

Lost crown: Save the crown. Dental wax or sugar-free gum can hold it temporarily. Avoid chewing on that side.

What Your Visit Will Look Like

Quick visual exam, targeted X-ray, same-day plan. Most emergency visits get you out of pain that day: pain control, antibiotic if there is infection, broken-tooth restoration, or extraction if the tooth cannot be saved. For follow-up like a permanent crown or root canal therapy, we get you stable today and book the rest as a return visit. You leave with a written plan and a written estimate.

Insurance, Pricing, and Payment

We are in-network with most major PPO insurance plans. Existing patients are processed at the normal copay and deductible.

No insurance and a new patient? Ask about our $125 New Patient Exam with X-rays, or the $199 Exam, X-rays, and Healthy Mouth Cleaning option (cleaning included if you do not have periodontal disease). Either offer applies to a new patient emergency visit.

Treatment costs depend on what we find. We give you a written estimate before any treatment starts. CareCredit is available for payment plans.

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About Dr. Peterson

Dr. David Peterson earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. He has been in private practice for 21 years and has treated approximately 25,000 patients across his career. His clinical work includes thousands of extractions (simple and surgical), thousands of restorations, hundreds of dental implant restorations, and hundreds of teeth whitening cases.

He commits to 25 hours of continuing education each year and has logged more than 800 hours of CE beyond dental school. BusinessRate named him a Top Dentist in Chattanooga in 2025. Outside the practice, he has served as lead dentist on dental missions to Guatemala with HELPS International, joined a mission to Belize while at Loma Linda, and volunteers locally with AMEN clinics and Life Hope Centers.

Patient retention is 90 to 95 percent year over year. About 90 to 95 percent of patients have been with the practice for five or more years.

Our Cleveland Dental Services Include:

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I drive 30 minutes for an emergency?

That depends on your situation. For a knocked-out tooth, time is the deciding factor: pick whichever dentist can see you fastest. For severe pain or a broken tooth, the drive is less time-critical and you can choose based on availability, your existing relationship with a dentist, or pricing. We will tell you on the phone, honestly, whether we are the right call for your situation.

I am already a patient at the Ooltewah office. Should I drive down for an emergency?

Yes, if you can. Continuity of care matters for follow-up, and our records on you are already here. Call (423) 396-4222 first to confirm we have a slot.

Do you have an office in Cleveland?

No. The closest office is in Ooltewah at 9325 Apison Pike. We see Cleveland-area patients regularly, but most are established patients or commuters who already drive south for work.

Are you in-network with my insurance?

We are in-network with most major PPO plans. Bring your card and we will run benefits at check-in. If your specific plan is not in-network, the $125 or $199 new patient offers may make the visit work for you.

I commute from Cleveland to Chattanooga for work. Can I be seen on a lunch break?

Possibly. Lunch-window slots fill up fast. Call (423) 396-4222 in advance and we will book the longest emergency slot we have during your lunch hour. If your case needs more time than a lunch hour allows, we can split the visit (urgent piece first, follow-up at a later visit).

How much does an emergency visit cost without insurance?

For new patients without insurance, the exam-and-X-ray portion is $125 under our new patient offer. Treatment costs depend on what we find. We give you a written estimate before any treatment starts.

What if my emergency happens after hours or on a weekend?

Leave a voicemail at (423) 396-4222. The on-call team checks evening and weekend messages. If you cannot wait and a Cleveland-area urgent care or hospital ER is closer, that is the right call. We will pick up the dental side at your next appointment.

Call (423) 396-4222 If You Can Make the Drive

We will not pretend the drive is short. It is not. But if your local Cleveland options are full, if you are already an established patient, or if the drive is part of your day anyway, call (423) 396-4222 and we will tell you whether we can fit you in.