Emergency Dentistry FAQs

If it hurts badly, it is bleeding, or something has broken, it counts. Dental emergencies happen without any warning, and these are the situations that most often bring people to us:

• Severe tooth pain
• A knocked-out or broken tooth
• A chipped or cracked tooth
• A lost filling or crown that exposes sensitive tooth structure
• Facial swelling or a swollen jaw
• Uncontrolled bleeding
• Injuries to the mouth, including the lips, gums, and tongue

When in doubt, call us. We would rather see you and rule out a problem than have you wait and risk complications, and putting off emergency dental care can allow the damage to spread. Even when nothing looks wrong from the outside, there may still be a cavity or an infection causing the pain.

Yes. We welcome both current and new patients for emergency dental care, and you do not need any history with us to be seen.

Call our office, tell us what happened, and we'll work to get you in as quickly as possible, often the same day. There is no drawn-out new-patient process standing between you and relief. We take the details we need over the phone, get you comfortable first, and sort out the rest once the emergency is behind you.

Whenever possible, yes. We keep room in our schedule for urgent care, because dental emergencies arrive without warning and a full calendar should not be the reason somebody spends another night in pain.

The sooner you call, the sooner we can get you comfortable, so reach out right away rather than waiting to see if the pain passes. Tell whoever answers what happened and how long it has been going on, and we will find you the earliest opening we have.

If we genuinely cannot fit you in that day, we will tell you plainly and help you work out what to do in the meantime, including where to go if the situation calls for more than emergency dental care can offer.

Time is critical, and with proper emergency action a tooth that has been knocked out can be replaced into the socket and last for years. Here is what to do:

• Locate the tooth immediately and do not touch the root of the tooth. Only touch the crown of the tooth.
• If the tooth is dirty, rinse gently with water. Do not use soap. Do not dry the tooth. Do not wrap it in a tissue or cloth. Do not scrub the tooth.
• First make sure it is a permanent (adult) tooth. Never put a knocked-out baby tooth back in the socket. Replanting a baby tooth can damage the permanent tooth developing underneath, and a young child could swallow or inhale it. Call us instead.
• If it is a permanent tooth, put it back in the socket immediately if you can. The sooner the tooth is replaced, the greater the likelihood it will survive.
• Keep the tooth moist at all times. If the tooth cannot be replaced into the socket, it must not be left to dry. Put the tooth in milk, or in saline if that is what you have. An adult can also hold it inside the cheek, but never do this with a child, who could swallow or inhale it. Have a child spit into a clean container instead and keep the tooth in that saliva.

Get to our office within 30 minutes for the best chance of saving it, and call on the way so we can have everything ready when you arrive. See our first-aid steps for details.

Often, yes. It depends on the type, location, and severity of the crack, and sorting out those three things is the first job of an emergency visit. Fractures can happen suddenly or develop slowly over time, and they can be painless or intensely uncomfortable, so how it feels is not a reliable guide to how serious it is.

Many cracked teeth can be saved with root canal therapy and a crown, which clears the damaged nerve tissue and then binds the tooth together so the crack is far less likely to spread. A crack that has not reached the nerve may need only a crown. Some fractures that extend below the bone may need extraction, and if that is the case we will talk through how the tooth can be replaced.

Dr. Andre Amarante will evaluate the tooth and explain your options before anything is decided. If you think you have cracked a tooth, call rather than wait, because early treatment is what keeps the widest range of options open.

Save the crown or filling if you can find it, rinse it off, and keep it somewhere safe to bring with you. If the crown came away cleanly it can sometimes be recemented, though we often find decay or a fracture underneath that has to be dealt with first. Never use super glue or any household adhesive to stick it back on, since those are not safe in the mouth and can leave the tooth impossible to restore properly.

The tooth underneath is now unprotected, and that is the part that needs attention. Exposed tooth structure is sensitive to hot, cold, and even air, and the longer it stays uncovered the more vulnerable it is to decay and further breakage. Chew on the other side, keep the area clean, and steer clear of anything very hot, very cold, or sticky until we see you. An over-the-counter dental cement from the pharmacy can cover the tooth temporarily, but treat that as a stopgap rather than a repair.

Then call us so we can get you in. A lost filling or crown counts as a dental emergency, particularly if the tooth is sensitive or a sharp edge is catching your tongue or cheek. What would be a short recementing appointment today can turn into a much larger restoration if the tooth is left open for weeks.

None of these steps fix what is causing the pain, but they can make the wait considerably easier:

• Take over-the-counter pain medication as directed
• Rinse with warm salt water
• Apply a cold compress to the outside of your cheek
• Avoid very hot or cold foods and drinks, and chew on the other side
• Keep your head elevated when you lie down, since lying flat tends to make tooth pain worse

One warning matters more than the rest. Do not place aspirin directly on the gum or tooth, since it can burn the tissue. Holding a tablet against the gum adds a chemical burn on top of the problem you already have.

If the pain is climbing, if it is keeping you awake, or if swelling starts, do not try to ride it out. Call us. Emergency dental care exists so that nobody has to spend days in pain waiting for a routine appointment.

Call our office and follow the instructions on our voicemail, and leave a message describing what happened, when it started, and the best number to reach you. You can also text us. We check both so we can respond and arrange care as soon as we're able.

The more detail you leave, the faster we can help. Knowing whether a tooth has been knocked out, whether there is swelling, or whether bleeding has stopped tells us how urgently to call you back and what to have prepared when you come in. Do not worry about the hour or the day. That is exactly what the message is for.

If your situation is life-threatening, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Emergency dental care covers a great deal, but it is not a substitute for a hospital once the problem has moved beyond your teeth.

Nobody can put a figure on a tooth they have not seen yet, so we will not quote one over the phone. An exam and digital imaging come first, and once we know what we are dealing with, we review the plan and the cost with you before anything starts.

Insurance is not a requirement here. Insured patients get an estimate of their share, and we submit the claim on your behalf. Without coverage, our payment plans and in-house savings plan make both routine and emergency dental care more manageable for families across Evanston, IL.

What we would ask is that cost does not stop you picking up the phone. A problem treated early is almost always less expensive than the same problem a month later. Learn more on our cost and insurance page.

Go to the ER for any of the following:

• Bleeding that won't stop with pressure
• Swelling that affects breathing or swallowing
• A possible broken jaw
• Injuries involving other parts of the body

In those situations the hospital is the right first stop, and dental treatment can follow once you are stable. If a tooth was knocked out in the same accident, bring it with you kept moist in milk and let the staff know you have it.

For tooth-specific emergencies such as toothaches, broken teeth, and infections, our office provides more specialized care than most ERs. A hospital can manage pain and infection, but it generally cannot restore, splint, or perform root canal therapy on a tooth, which means you would be coming to us afterward anyway. When the trouble is limited to your teeth and gums, calling us first saves you a step.