Emergency Dentist for East Ridge, TN

Same-Day Emergency Dental Care for East Ridge Residents

A toothache that started during the morning commute up Brainerd Rd. A broken tooth from a fall at Camp Jordan. A swollen jaw the day after a Costco run. A crown that came loose halfway through dinner near Ringgold Rd. If you live in East Ridge and you need emergency dental care now, our Chattanooga office on Jenkins Road is the closest option, about 15 to 20 minutes north.

Call (423) 206-9660. 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. If you call before noon on a weekday, we can usually get you in that day.

Where We Are: 15-20 Minutes North on Brainerd Rd

Address: 3328 Jenkins Rd Ste 100, Chattanooga, TN 37421

Phone: (423) 206-9660

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 East Ridge:

From the Camp Jordan Park area, head north on Camp Jordan Pkwy or up Ringgold Rd to Brainerd Rd, then north toward Hamilton Place. Turn east on Shallowford Rd. The office is on Jenkins Rd, off Shallowford. Roughly 15-20 minutes in normal traffic.
From the Ringgold Rd / I-75 area, take I-75 north to the Shallowford Rd exit. Head west on Shallowford a few minutes. Jenkins Rd is on the right.
From the southern East Ridge / GA state line area, take Ringgold Rd north (it becomes Brainerd Rd in Chattanooga), then east on Shallowford.
From the Spring Creek Rd / Hospital area, take Spring Creek to Ringgold Rd, then I-75 north.

Plan for closer to 25 minutes during weekday rush hour. The office is in a professional building. Park in front. The suite is on the first level.

Directions

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When a Dental Issue Counts as an Emergency

Call right away if:

You have severe, throbbing, or unrelenting tooth pain
A tooth has been knocked out (call as you head this way, time matters)
You see facial swelling, especially with fever or that has spread overnight
A tooth is broken with sharp edges or visible damage
A crown, filling, or bridge has come loose or fallen out
Bleeding from the mouth has not stopped after 10 minutes of firm pressure
You took an impact to the mouth or jaw from a fall, sport, or accident

Schedule a regular visit:

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

First Aid Until You Reach the Office

Knocked-out tooth: Pick up the tooth by the crown, never the root. Rinse with milk if you have it (water if not). Try to slip it back into the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot reinsert it, store it in milk or your own saliva and head this way fast. The window for saving the tooth is roughly an hour.

Cracked tooth: Rinse with warm water. Cold compress to the outside of the cheek. Save tooth fragments in a small container.

Severe ache: Warm salt water rinse. Floss gently. Ibuprofen with food. Cold compress on the cheek. 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 Cover

Quick visual exam, targeted X-ray, same-day plan. Most emergency visits get you out of pain that day: pain control, antibiotic if needed, 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 for the follow-up work.

Insurance, Pricing, and Payment

We are in-network with most major PPO insurance plans. Existing patients pay 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 (the cleaning is 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 work starts. CareCredit is available for payment plans.

Yes! Schedule My Appointment

Why East Ridge Patients Choose Us

You have local options in East Ridge for routine dental care. The reasons East Ridge patients call us for emergency care: same-day slots that the local options often cannot match, an in-house emergency workflow that treats most cases without bouncing you to a specialist, and clear written pricing before treatment starts.

Dr. David Peterson has placed thousands of restorations and performed thousands of extractions over 21 years in private practice. The Chattanooga office is set up for same-day diagnostics and same-day treatment. If you cannot get an appointment with your regular dentist today, call (423) 206-9660. We will tell you on the phone whether we have an opening.

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, 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. 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 East Ridge Dental Services Include:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the drive from East Ridge?

From most points in East Ridge, 15 to 20 minutes via Brainerd Rd or I-75 in normal traffic. Plan closer to 25 minutes during weekday rush hour.

Do you have an office in East Ridge?

No. The closest office is in Chattanooga at 3328 Jenkins Rd Ste 100, in the East Brainerd area near Hamilton Place.

Can I be seen the same day?

Most weekdays, yes. We hold same-day slots for emergencies. Call (423) 206-9660 as early in the day as you can. If we are full at the Chattanooga office, we will check whether the Ooltewah office (about 25 minutes east) has a faster opening.

What if my regular dentist is in East Ridge but cannot see me today?

Call us anyway. Many of our emergency patients are seeing us for the first time because their regular dentist could not fit them in. After the emergency visit you decide whether to stay with us or return to your regular dentist for routine care. There is no pressure to switch.

Can I drive myself if I am in pain or just had a tooth knocked out?

Use your judgment. Severe pain, a head impact, or a sense of light-headedness are reasons to have someone else drive. If a tooth was knocked out by a hard impact, do not drive yourself.

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) 206-9660. The on-call team checks evening and weekend messages. For severe swelling closing your throat, uncontrolled bleeding, or trauma from a major accident, go to the ER first. Call us first thing the next business day.

Call (423) 206-9660 for Same-Day Care

If you are dealing with a dental emergency in East Ridge, call (423) 206-9660. The drive is short, the office is on Jenkins Rd off Shallowford, and we will tell you on the phone whether we have a slot today.