Emergency Dental Care
Our team understands that the very nature of an emergency is inconvenience. As your dedicated family dental healthcare providers, we’re here for you in these stressful times. Please call our Arlington Heights dental office immediately to request an emergency visit if you experience a severe toothache, knock out a tooth, badly damage your teeth, or find yourself in another precarious dental situation. We do our very best to see emergency cases immediately. If you experience intense bleeding or your emergency extends beyond dental care, please go to the nearest emergency room for assistance.
Some situations can be remedied or improved by following a few simple tips. While these suggestions do not solve all problems, they offer first-aid care until you can come to our office or your local emergency room.
Temporary Crown Falls Out
If your temporary falls out and you still have it, dry your natural tooth, apply a small dab of toothpaste to the temporary and reattach it. You may also use dental wax or temporary adhesive, available at most pharmacies. Please call our office so that we can professionally reattach your temporary as soon as possible.
Knocked-Out Tooth
Handle the tooth by the crown and never touch the root. Do not rub the tooth or try to brush off debris. Pour milk over the tooth to wash off any impurities, and then replace the tooth into the socket. Hold it in place until you get to our office. Sterile water or saline solution (such as the kind used for contact lenses) can be used if you do not have milk. If the tooth cannot be replaced immediately, it can be transported to our office submersed in milk. Studies show that the most successful tooth replacements occur within one hour of placing the tooth back into the socket.
Cut/Bitten Tongue or Lip
Thoroughly clean the cut, then hold a cold compress against it. If bleeding does not stop, go to your local emergency room immediately. You may need stitches.
Broken Tooth
A cracked or broken tooth should be rinsed immediately with warm water. Check for lip lacerations. If present, then go to the emergency room immediately. If a tooth is broken, call our office for an appointment.
Possibly Broken Jaw
If you think your jaw may be broken, apply a cold compress and proceed to your local emergency room immediately. If you lost or damaged teeth during your injury, please call us as well.
Severe Toothache
Rinse your mouth and the area around the tooth, then floss around the tooth to make sure that debris is not causing the pain. Do not put an aspirin on the tooth or gum because it can damage your gum tissue. Call our office for an appointment if the pain persists.
Something Caught Between Teeth
Use dental floss to gently remove the debris, and be sure that you don’t cut your gums with the floss. Do not use a sharp instrument to dislodge the debris. If floss doesn’t help, call our office for an appointment.