Emergency Dentist for Harrison, TN

Same-Day Emergency Dental Care for Harrison Patients

A toothache that started during a weekend on Chickamauga Lake. A chipped tooth from an unexpected wakeboard wipeout. A swollen jaw that started the night before a Monday meeting. A crown that came loose during dinner at home off Hwy 58. If you live or stay in Harrison and you need emergency dental care now, our Ooltewah office is the closest option for many Harrison residents, about 15 minutes south on Highway 58.

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. If you call before noon on a weekday, we can usually get you in that day.

Where We Are: 15 Minutes South on Hwy 58

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 Harrison:

From the Hwy 58 / Bonny Oaks area, head south on Hwy 58 toward Ooltewah. Continue across the I-75 interchange and turn east onto Apison Pike. Roughly 15 minutes in normal traffic.
From the Snow Hill Rd or Harrison Bay State Park area, head south on Hwy 58. Same general route.
From the lakefront communities along Hwy 58 north of Harrison Pike, take Hwy 58 south, then I-75 south to Exit 11 (Ooltewah / Apison Pike) and head east.
From the Booker T. Washington State Park area, take Champion Rd or Bonny Oaks Dr to Hwy 58, then south.

Plan for closer to 20 minutes during weekday rush hour or on summer weekends when lake traffic on Hwy 58 picks up. The office has parking in front. The entrance is at street level.

Directions

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When a Dental Issue Is an Emergency

Call right away if:

You have severe 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
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 from a fall, sport, accident, or water-sports collision

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: Pick the tooth up 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. Within an hour the odds are good. Past three hours the success rate drops sharply. Tell whoever is driving to head straight to Apison Pike.

Cracked tooth: Rinse with warm water. Cold compress to the outside of the cheek on the affected side. Save any tooth pieces in a small container.

Severe ache: Warm salt water rinse. Floss gently to clear food. Ibuprofen with food. Cold compress on the cheek. Skip aspirin against the gum, it can burn the tissue.

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

What Your Visit Will Look Like

Check-in, a targeted X-ray of the painful tooth or area, a quick visual exam, and a same-day plan. Most emergency visits get you out of pain that day: pain control, antibiotic if there is infection, broken tooth temporarily restored, or an extraction if the tooth cannot be saved. For more involved follow-up like a permanent crown or root canal therapy, we get you stable today and book you back for the rest.

You leave with a written plan and a written estimate for any follow-up work. Most emergency visits run 45 to 90 minutes start to finish.

Insurance, Pricing, and Payment Options

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 work starts. CareCredit is available for payment plans.

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Why Choose Us?

Why Harrison Patients Drive to Ooltewah

We are not the only option for emergency dental care if you live in Harrison. We are the option that holds same-day slots, runs an in-house emergency workflow that does not bounce you to a specialist for routine emergency work, and gives you a written cost estimate before any treatment starts. Dr. David Peterson has placed thousands of restorations and performed thousands of extractions over 21 years in private practice. The Ooltewah office is set up for same-day diagnostics and same-day treatment.

If your local Harrison or Hwy 58 dentist cannot fit you in today, we may be able to. Call (423) 396-4222 first and 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 practiced privately 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 including porcelain and composite veneers, 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 Harrison Dental Services Include:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the drive from Harrison?

From most points in Harrison, roughly 12 to 15 minutes south on Highway 58 in normal traffic. Plan closer to 20 minutes during weekday rush hour or summer weekend lake traffic.

Do you have an office in Harrison?

No. The closest office is in Ooltewah at 9325 Apison Pike. We see Harrison-area patients regularly because the drive is short and we hold same-day emergency slots.

I cannot make the drive today. What should I do?

Call us anyway at (423) 396-4222. We can talk through pain management until you can get here. If your situation cannot wait and you cannot drive, an urgent care or hospital ER can manage pain and infection. We will pick up the dental side at your next appointment.

What about a weekend boating or jet-ski injury?

Lake injuries are common emergency calls in summer. If a tooth is knocked out, time matters. Pick up the tooth by the crown, store it in milk, and call (423) 396-4222 from the boat or the dock. If we cannot reach a phone, leave a voicemail and head this way. We check messages on weekends.

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?

Leave a voicemail at (423) 396-4222. 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 (423) 396-4222 for Same-Day Care

If you are dealing with a dental emergency anywhere in Harrison or along Hwy 58, call (423) 396-4222. We will tell you on the phone whether we can fit you in today and walk you through what to do until you get here.