What to Do in a Dental Emergency
What you do in the first few minutes can ease the pain and, with a knocked-out tooth, decide whether it can be saved at all. Find your situation below, then call us at (630) 548-2300 and we will get you into the earliest opening we have.
Knocked-Out Tooth: The First 30 Minutes
This is the emergency where the clock matters most. Six steps, in order:
Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown (top), never by the root.
If it's dirty, rinse the tooth gently with water, but do not scrub or remove tissue.
Check whether it is a permanent tooth first. A knocked-out baby tooth should never go back in the socket, since that can harm the permanent tooth forming underneath. Call us instead.
For a permanent tooth, ease it back into the socket and bite on a cloth to hold it in place.
Can't reinsert it? Place the tooth in milk or saliva to keep it moist.
Get to our office within 30 minutes, since arriving sooner improves the chance of saving the tooth.
On your way with a knocked-out tooth? Call (630) 548-2300 so the room is ready when you arrive.
Other Urgent Situations
Severe Toothache or Swelling
- Swish warm salt water around your mouth to help reduce bacteria
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers as directed, but never rest aspirin directly on the gum
- Hold a cold compress against the outside of your cheek to reduce swelling
- Keep heat away from the affected area
- Call us immediately, since pain and swelling together often signal an infection that needs prompt treatment
Broken or Cracked Tooth
- Rinse with warm water and keep any fragments of the tooth you can find
- Hold a cold compress to the outside of the cheek to keep swelling down
- Cover a sharp edge with dental wax or sugarless gum so it cannot cut your tongue or lip
- Stay on soft foods and chew on the opposite side until we see you
Lost Filling or Crown
- Keep the crown safe and bring it to your appointment
- Over-the-counter dental cement can shield the exposed tooth for now, but treat it as a stopgap
- Never use household glue, which is unsafe in the mouth and can make the tooth impossible to restore
- Keep the area clean, avoid chewing on that side, and call us
Bitten Lip, Cheek, or Tongue
- Rinse the area gently with water
- Press steadily on the spot with clean gauze until the bleeding slows
- A cold compress on the outside will help with swelling
- Bleeding still going after 15 minutes? Call us or seek medical care
Something Caught Between Teeth
- Work at it gently with dental floss
- Keep pins, needles, and anything else sharp well away from your gums and enamel
- If it will not come free, leave it where it is and call us
Loosened or Shifted Tooth
- Leave the tooth alone: no wiggling, pushing, or testing it with your tongue
- Bite gently on clean gauze or a soft cloth to keep it still
- Stay on soft foods and keep all chewing away from that side
- Call us right away, since a loosened tooth has the best outlook when it is stabilized quickly
When the emergency room comes first: bleeding that will not stop, swelling that affects your breathing or swallowing, a possible broken jaw, or a head injury all call for 911 or the nearest ER. For tooth-specific problems such as toothaches, broken teeth, and infections, our office offers more specialized care than most ERs.
Dental pain won't wait. Call (630) 548-2300 and we'll tell you exactly what to do next.