Toothaches
Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Before you take the “wait and see” approach, take a serious look at your symptoms. Have you been dealing with dental discomfort for more than 24 hours? Do your gums bleed when you floss? Are you struggling with persistent sensitivity? If the answer is “yes,” then your toothache may require a same-day visit to our Chicago dental office.
How You Should Handle a Toothache We mentioned above that you should assess your symptoms and, if necessary, schedule a same-day appointment. That’s a great first step. Outside of that, focus on doing what you can to alleviate your discomfort in the short-term, like rinsing periodically with warm saltwater, avoiding hot/cold stimuli, and taking OTC pain medication as directed.
How We Treat Toothaches In order to determine the answer, we need to determine what’s causing your toothache and how severe the damage is. That will determine if a tooth-colored filling, a dental crown, a root canal, or a tooth extraction is needed to restore the look, health, and function of your smile.
Chipped Teeth
Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Whether or not you need to come to our Chicago dental office the same day depends largely on how large the chip is and if you’re in pain. If it’s substantial in size and you’re dealing with considerable sensitivity, soreness, and discomfort, then you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to us right away.
How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth Rinsing your mouth with clean, room-temperature water and covering the tooth with sugar-free gum is important. Outside of that, prioritize coming to our office for the necessary care and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth in the meantime.
How We Treat Chipped Teeth Direct bonding and veneers are two common treatments for chipped teeth. If you’re wondering which one we recommend for you, that depends! If the chip is small, direct bonding may be ideal. If it’s more substantial in size, then we will likely recommend a veneer instead.
Cracked Tooth
Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Absolutely! After all, there’s a good chance that the crack will get worse if left untreated. Plus, an infection can develop, making the situation even worse. So, if you see a crack in your enamel or you are experiencing abnormal symptoms, like persistent sensitivity, don’t wait – call us ASAP.
How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth Contacting us to schedule an emergency exam is of the utmost importance. Until your appointment, make sure that you exercise caution by not chewing on that side of your mouth, eating anything acidic, or touching the tooth with your finger.
How We Treat Cracked Teeth Fortunately, we can usually save a cracked tooth with a dental crown. If the damage is so severe that we have no choice but to extract your tooth, then that’s what we will do. We will also review your tooth-replacement options, like dental implants, to ensure you don’t have a noticeable gap and compromised bite for long.
Sensitivity to
Hot & Cold
Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? The urgency of the situation depends largely on the severity of your symptoms. For example, if they have persisted for several days and there doesn’t seem to be a specific trigger, then we recommend contacting our team at United Dental Centers – Chicago right away.
How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth In addition to avoiding hot coffee, ice cream, and anything else that will exacerbate your symptoms, we recommend rinsing with warm saltwater periodically. Taking OTC pain medication can also help. Just make sure to follow the directions on the label.
How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth First, we need to pinpoint if tooth decay, gum disease, or something else entirely is the root of the problem. Then, we can review your treatment options, help you decide which one is best for you, and get to work creating your custom treatment plan.
Knocked-Out
Tooth
Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes. After all, it only takes about 15 minutes for the tooth to start to die. So, it’s important that you call us right away to schedule an appointment within the hour.
How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth When you call us, we’ll schedule an emergency appointment and share what to do (and what to avoid) to protect your tooth. For example, if your tooth doesn’t slide back into the socket easily, don’t place it in a glass of water. Instead, place it in a clean container filled with milk or saline solution.
How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth Our goal is always to save your natural teeth. If you arrive at our office within the hour with a perfectly intact tooth, then there’s a good chance that we’ll be able to save it. If that doesn’t happen for one reason or another, don’t worry – we can replace it with a dental bridge or implant instead.
Lost Filling
or Crown
Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Lost restorations don’t always warrant same-day care from our emergency dentist in Chicago. That said, you should call us right away, even if you aren’t in pain. After all, the more time that passes, the higher the chances are of an infection developing or the tooth breaking.
How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown There are a few steps we recommend taking, including calling us to schedule an appointment (even if it’s a day or two from now) and placing your restoration in a small, clean container for safekeeping. It’s also important that you don’t chew on that side of your mouth, especially crunchy, sticky, sugary, and acidic foods.
How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns We actually have a few options! If your dental crown fell out, but it’s in good condition, then we can recement it back in place. If it fell out and you weren’t able to find it or it was badly damaged, then we can have a new one made.
Broken Dentures
Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Patients often assume the answer is “no.” However, continuing to wear a broken denture can lead to several problems, including painful mouth sores. For that reason, we do recommend calling us right away to schedule an emergency visit.
How You Should Handle a Broken Denture There are a few steps we recommend taking, starting with scheduling an appointment with us. In the meantime, keep your denture in its case to prevent it from breaking further and stick to extremely soft foods, like cottage cheese and plain yogurt.
How We Treat Broken Dentures Ideally, we’ll be able to repair your dentures at our office. If that’s not an option, then we will send it to the dental lab or begin the process of having a new one made.
Loose Permanent Tooth
Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? If you’re dealing with a loose tooth in Chicago, then you should call us ASAP. That way, we can schedule an emergency appointment and share what to do to prevent it from completely falling out.
How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth You should avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, especially crunchy and sticky foods. Additionally, do your best not to touch the tooth with your tongue or finger since doing so can cause it to loosen further.
How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth There are some cases when we can save the tooth with the help of a dental splint. If that’s not an option, then we will need to extract it before putting a custom dental bridge or implant in its place.
Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue
Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Usually, soft tissue injuries like these do not require an emergency visit. That said, you should call 911 or head to the ER if the cut is bleeding uncontrollably.
How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue After rinsing your mouth thoroughly with clean, room-temperature water, we recommend using gauze or a damp, clean washcloth to apply pressure to the area. Within 10 minutes, the bleeding should stop.
How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue If the cut continues to bleed, even after applying pressure for 10 minutes, then you should call 911 or head to the ER.
Jaw Pain
Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Typically, jaw pain doesn’t warrant an emergency visit. That said, you should call us to schedule an appointment before the end of the week, especially if the discomfort is making it difficult to chew, sleep, or concentrate at work.
How You Should Handle Jaw Pain Fortunately, there are a few ways you can alleviate your discomfort in the short term, including taking OTC pain medication and using a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time.
How We Treat Jaw Pain Jaw pain can stem from several issues, including chronic teeth grinding and impacted wisdom teeth. Once we complete a comprehensive oral exam and determine what’s causing yours, we can review your treatment options and help you decide which one is best for you.
