Emergency Dentistry
Have you or someone in your family been in an accident where teeth were damaged? Or, has a small toothache suddenly grown into a major pain? These and other dental emergencies can happen any time. If you’re in need of urgent dental care, give us a call at the office or our emergency line. We’re able to accommodate same-day and next-day emergency appointments so that no one ever has to be left waiting in pain. We can also provide some care via teledentistry if you’re not able to come into the office right away.
Dental Accidents and Facial Injuries
Broken and/or knocked-out teeth are sadly common for patients of all ages, especially those who play sports, are very physically active or often chew on hard items (such as ice or popcorn kernels). If you’ve damaged or knocked-out a tooth, we recommend the following steps:
Other Dental Emergencies
Teeth can become painful or sensitive if they become infected and the infection reaches near the nerve. For help with a severe toothache:
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Contact our office right away.
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Gently rinse your mouth with warm water.
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Lightly floss around the tooth to make sure the pain isn’t being caused by something stuck next to it.
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Place a cold compress on the face or take over the counter pain medicine
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Contact our office right away.
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Try to recover as much of the tooth as you can.
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Rinse the tooth gently with water, then try to place it back into its socket until you can make it to our office.
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If this isn’t possible, put it in a container of water. The tooth must remain wet to keep it viable for us to reattach.
Experience & Training You Want in an Emergency
Dr. Bob is exactly who you want if you find yourself in an unfortunate dental emergency. With over forty years of experience in private practice and as an attending practitioner at Lurie Children’s Hospital and a senior attending at NorthShore University Health Systems, he has seen many patients through a variety of emergencies and knows just what care you’ll need. As the father of two adult children, he’s well versed in calming and guiding parent and child through what can be a traumatic and stressful situation.
Our office will work hard to accommodate same-day and next-day emergency appointments so our patients are able to get help and comfort they need as soon as possible. We also might be able to assist you via teledentistry before you can make it to the office.