If you or your child has a sore throat, especially if the pain persists for a few days or home remedies don’t seem to work, it may be time to see a doctor. But should you go to urgent care right away, schedule a primary care appointment, or do something else?
The right choice often depends on the severity of the sore throat, other symptoms experienced, and the care options available. Below, we look at symptoms that may indicate a more serious infection behind your sore throat and when to see a doctor at an urgent care center or elsewhere.
Get in-person care for a sore throat that persists or is associated with certain symptoms
Sore throats have many possible causes. Most often, they are caused by viral infections such as the common cold or influenza, which usually improve within a few days with home remedies to relieve throat irritation, such as gargling with warm salt water or over-the-counter pain relievers. But if your sore throat doesn’t improve or gets worse after a few days, it’s probably time to see a doctor.
This is especially true for anyone who develops symptoms such as:
- bad breath
- Blood in saliva or mucus.
- Earache
- Fever greater than 100.4° F
- joint pain
- Rash
- Red or white spots in the mouth.
- Swelling or lump in the neck or face.
- Problems opening your mouth or swallowing
These symptoms may be signs of bacterial infections such as strep throat or a more serious viral infection such as mononucleosis. Bacteria can also cause these symptoms by infecting certain parts of the mouth and throat, such as the tonsils, adenoids, epiglottis, or uvula.
Choose urgent care for sore throat if you need care now or if primary care is not available
If you or your child has a very painful sore throat or has a high fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, or a rash, go to urgent care. These symptoms may be more common in bacterial infections where antibiotics may be needed for treatment.
You should also go to urgent care if you can’t get a primary care appointment as quickly as you would like or if it is outside of normal clinic hours, such as on weekends. At HealthPartners, you can check wait times at urgent care centers near you and use our Save My Spot feature to get in line to be seen before you even arrive. In fact, our patients can save up to 56 minutes in the waiting room by using Save My Spot.
The cost of treating a sore throat in urgent care depends on a few factors.
The cost of an urgent care visit depends on where you go, your insurance coverage, and the care you receive. At HealthPartners, an urgent care visit is billed the same as an office visit, but the exact cost will vary depending on the tests and other services provided.
Choose primary care for sore throat if care can wait until the next available appointment
At HealthPartners, we often have same-day and next-day primary care appointments available.
Go to the emergency room if you have a severe sore throat or difficulty breathing.
If you have symptoms that may be life-threatening or interfere with your ability to care for yourself, call 911 or go to an emergency room. Examples include:
- severe sore throat
- breathing problems
- Sudden sore throat combined with headache, dizziness, confusion or nausea.
These may be signs of a serious infection or an acute problem such as carbon monoxide poisoning.
Get the care your sore throat needs, whether urgent or not
Whatever symptoms you are experiencing, we are here to help you get relief as quickly as possible. If your sore throat does not go away or your symptoms worsen, see if a same-day or next-day primary care appointment is available. If primary care is not an option or you need care sooner, go to urgent care. Either way, your care team can help determine the cause and what type of treatment you need.
