Dental accidents can happen to any patient at any time. Getting proper treatment and care soon after an emergency occurs is an important step in protecting the health of your smile. At 26th Street Dental Center, our first goal is alleviating any pain you may be experiencing then treating the cause of the emergency. Once we’ve addressed the emergency, we’re able to help patients restore their smile by offering a number of restorative dental services.
Call our office right away at (773) 542-1916 if you are experiencing serious pain due to an ongoing dental condition or trauma caused by a physical injury. Even if it’s after hours, our voice message will inform you what to do next. We’ll make sure you get the necessary treatment right away.
What is a Dental Emergency?
For many of our patients, the problem with treating dental emergencies is knowing when to visit the dentist for treatment. While some emergencies like a broken tooth are fairly obvious, other dental emergencies have symptoms that are easily ignored yet just as dangerous. Some of the most common emergencies that require a trip to our Chicago dentist include:
Anytime you’re feeling significant pain in the dental region, you are experiencing a dental emergency. This pain could be the result of any of the following circumstances:
- Persistent, pulsating pain in the mouth, neck, or throat
- Broken, cracked, loose, or fractured teeth
- Knocked out (avulsed) teeth
- Swelling or discoloration of the mouth or jaw caused by dental trauma
- Soft tissue laceration
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Persistent toothache
- Sensitivity to extreme temperatures
If you aren’t sure whether your condition warrants a trip to the dentist, the general rule of thumb we encourage patients to follow is if it hurts, make an appointment.
Before You Visit the Dentist
We know how unpleasant dental emergencies can be. Until you can get into our office, we usually recommend patients take over-the-counter pain relief medication. For patients who lost a tooth or are experiencing tooth fracture, we recommend that they save their original tooth or all pieces of their tooth and bring them into our office. Rinsing your mouth will lukewarm salt water can also help alleviate the pain that accompanies avulsed teeth, broken teeth, and soft tissue laceration. When you call for an emergency dental appointment, Dr. Ogbara can give you more specific instructions on alleviating your dental pain until you get to our office.