At Smile312, our Chicago dental team is dedicated to providing exceptional care for every smile. From routine checkups to advanced treatments, we combine expertise, compassion, and modern technology to keep your teeth healthy and your experience stress-free. Discover dentistry that puts your comfort and wellness first.
Emergency dentistry may not be something you think you will ever need, but Dr. Mahler and our team at Smile 312 Chicago's Premier Dentist are here to make your smile a priority should an injury occur. Timely treatment can often mean the difference between saving a tooth and replacing it with an artificial one, so do not hesitate to call us if you sustain any kind of dental injury, as we are pleased to provide same-day appointments for patients in need of an emergency dentist in Chicago.
Even if two patients arrive with chipped teeth, their treatment plans will likely vary. But no matter the type of service you receive, you can expect the same steps to be followed:
You may not think that your chipped tooth or lacerated gum tissue is a serious dental emergency, but the only way to know for sure is to call and speak to a member of our Smile 312 Chicago's Premier Dentist team. Whether we recommend that you come in right away or not, you can better understand what and how we treat certain injuries by reviewing the details below.
Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency?
If you have a hurting tooth, you shouldn’t ignore this symptom. Pain is the body’s way of alerting to a problem, and your toothache could indicate deep decay, an enamel fracture, or other issue making your tooth vulnerable. Unfortunately, even if a toothache goes away, the problem behind it will persist until you seek professional help. Our team can help you get relief from discomfort as well as help your smile heal.
How You Should Handle a Toothache
After calling our office for an immediate appointment, you may take over-the-counter pain medication as directed. To help control swelling as well as numb the area, place a cold compress on your face. Keeping that part of your mouth clean can be challenging when it’s painful to the touch, which means you should rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Avoid triggering pain by staying away from overly hot or cold foods or drinks and do not use that area of your mouth to eat, if needed.
How We Treat Toothaches
Depending on the cause of your pain, treatment can vary. The most common problem for toothaches is a deep cavity or crack, which often requires root canal treatment. To restore the tooth afterward, a dental crown can keep the tooth from becoming reinfected or damaged further.
Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency?
Sometimes, a chipped tooth is only a cosmetic issue, but most who experience it want it fixed right away because of the significant impact it can have on their appearance. Plus, a chipped tooth may not be able to bite and chew properly, affecting function as well as aesthetics. Therefore, you should consider this situation a dental emergency and contact us for an urgent visit.
How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth
If you can, locate the piece(s) of your tooth—we may be able to reassemble it. A chipped tooth may have a sharp point or edge on it, so to protect your tongue, cheek, gums, and lips from getting cut, you can cover the tooth with sugar-free gum.
How We Treat Chipped Teeth
In most instances of chipped teeth, we can cover the flaw with a porcelain veneer or fill in for the lost tooth structure with cosmetic bonding. Veneers are often preferred for their durability and realistic appearance. For severe chips, a dental crown may be more appropriate to restore the tooth.
Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency?
Should you feel a tooth crack, know that it does count as a dental emergency. A cracked tooth is compromised and can expose the inner layers to oral bacteria. To prevent further breakage and infection, the tooth must be treated as quickly as possible by Dr. Mahler.
How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth
When you’ve called us, we recommend swishing warm saltwater in your mouth to gently clean it and avoiding biting or chewing with that area of your mouth. If the tooth is causing you pain, you may take a reliever from the drugstore to manage your discomfort.
How We Treat Cracked Teeth
In many cases, a tooth that has cracked to the point where you notice it is significantly damaged. As a result, a cosmetic fix like a veneer or bonding typically won’t work in this scenario. Deep cracks most often need to be treated with root canal treatment because the pulp or nerve center of the tooth is exposed to bacteria. Then, a dental crown can be used to hold the tooth together again. In cases where the crack extends beneath the gumline, extraction may be the only viable course of action, at which point Dr. Mahler will discuss your replacement options with you.
Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? Although sensitive teeth typically aren’t an immediate cause for concern, it is possible that the sensitivity that you’re experiencing is because of a more pressing underlying dental health concern. For this reason, our team at Smile 312 advises you to schedule an appointment in a timely manner.
How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth: In some cases, switching to a toothpaste that’s formulated to combat sensitivity by remineralizing tooth enamel can help minimize your discomfort. However, if this doesn’t work, you may need professional treatment.
How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth: If your sensitivity is caused by an underlying dental concern like a cavity or gum disease, we may recommend a tooth-colored filling or scaling and root planing. However, if it’s caused by enamel erosion, we can administer fluoride to help strengthen and rebuild your tooth’s protective enamel.
Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings
Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? If you knocked-out a tooth, you should call your emergency dentist in Chicago immediately to schedule an appointment. If possible, try to get to our office within an hour of the incident.
How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth: Pick up your tooth, being sure to only handle it by the crown (do not touch the roots) and rinse it under cool water. Avoid scrubbing the tooth to make sure all of the connective tissues on the roots stay intact. Place the tooth in a sealable container full of milk to help preserve it, and bring it to your appointment.
How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth: In some cases, we may be able to re-plant your tooth back into its original socket. If we’re not able to do that, our team provides tooth replacement options like dental implants and bridges to restore your smile.
Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Restorations like fillings and crowns play an important role in protecting compromised teeth. If they become damaged or dislodged, this could put your tooth in harm’s way, risking it becoming infected or needing to be extracted. For this reason, we recommend scheduling an appointment to replace your filling or crown as soon as possible!
How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown: If your affected tooth is sensitive, you can temporarily reset your rinsed-off crown back onto your tooth with toothpaste. However, if the restoration was a filling, the best answer is to get to your emergency dentist as soon as you’re able to.
How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns: Our team will replace your lost or damaged filling or crown with a new one. For crowns, the process can take a couple of weeks since they’re custom-crafted in a dental laboratory. However, fillings can be placed in a single appointment.
Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Remember, broken dentures can make it difficult to chew properly, smile with confidence, and enunciate clearly. Not only that, but they can create painful sores in your mouth. For all of those reasons, we recommend scheduling an appointment with Dr. Mahler ASAP.
How You Should Handle a Broken Denture There are a few steps we recommend taking in addition to scheduling an appointment, including placing your denture (or the pieces of your denture) in a small, clean container for safekeeping.
How We Treat Broken Dentures First, we will see if we can repair your dentures at our office. If we can’t, then we will begin the process of having a new traditional or implant denture made for you.
Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, especially since there’s a chance that it could fall out completely! When you call us, we will schedule an emergency visit and guide you through what to do in the meantime to prevent that from happening.
How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth It largely boils down to what NOT to do: do not wiggle the tooth with your finger, do not chew on that side of your mouth, and do not eat anything crunchy, like hard pretzels, whole apples, or raw almonds.
How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth Fortunately, loose permanent teeth can often be saved with a dental splint. If that’s not the case for you, don’t worry – we can painlessly extract it before putting a custom dental implant in its place.
Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Since soft tissue injuries like these can usually be handled at home, they aren’t typically considered a dental emergency.
How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue First, go to the sink and rinse your mouth with clean, cool water. Then, grab some gauze or a damp, clean washcloth and use it to apply pressure to the cut (the bleeding should stop within 10 minutes).
How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue If you’ve followed the steps above but the cut is bleeding uncontrollably or you’re experiencing another potentially life-threatening symptom, like difficulty breathing, then call 911 or head to the ER.
Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Although jaw pain doesn’t typically warrant same-day care, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us to schedule an appointment, especially if it has progressed to the point where it’s negatively impacting your professional and personal life.
How You Should Handle Jaw Pain There are a few ways you can alleviate your discomfort in the short-term, including using a cold compress and taking OTC pain medication. It’s also a good idea to stick to soft foods, like oatmeal, cottage cheese, and bananas.
How We Treat Jaw Pain That depends entirely on the culprit! If it’s TMJ dysfunction, for example, then Dr. Mahler can alleviate the pressure and minimize pain with custom occlusal splints and equilibration.
Have something stuck between your teeth? Don’t reach for a toothpick! Instead, rinse with warm saltwater. Then, use a strand of floss to gently remove the debris.
Our patients’ satisfaction is our top priority. From routine checkups to advanced dental care, we make sure every smile leaves our office healthier and happier.
Our entire family have had an excellent experience with Dr. Mahler and his staff over the past 20 years. The office staff is always polite and efficient. Appointments have been easy to schedule, and we have rarely waited even a few minutes to be seen once in the office. Dr. Mahler... read more
Katie G.Experience is always top tier! Staff and doctor very friendly
derrick r.312 Smile is the best, they are definitely 5 star, they always take good care of their patients dental needs. 😊
Hattie W.I walked in to see the dentist for a consultation. I thought I would be turned back due to not having an appointment. Amazingly, the doctor welcomed me, examined me in a professional and friendly way. Frankly, he took the time to check my teeth and explained in details his... read more
Saif A.When I first arrived at Smile312, my mouth was in complete disarray—I honestly didn’t even know where to begin. That all changed when I met Dr. Mohler. From our very first interaction, he established a sense of trust and professionalism that immediately put me at ease. He took the time... read more
Kimberly R.Thanks Dr. Mahler and the dental assistants for providing a professional and excellent service. Update: Dr. Mahler is the best dentist I have had after I visited some other dentists. He is very patient, professional, knowledgeable and trustworthy. He fixed my old crown and recommended another oral surgery expert Dr. Zager... read more
Song W.I had a wonderful experience at the dentist office today. Dr. Mahler is an excellent dentist. He takes his time and explains to you was he's doing while he performs his job. His staff is very professional and kind.
Linda B.Dr Mahler has been my dentist for over 30 years. Simple cleaning this time. He had done a crown and filled cavities. I have brought family and friends to him. Personable and lets you know what needs to be done . I highly recommend him.
Tony B.Dr Mahler is very knowledgeable and thoughtful. He will do what’s best for his patient and walk you through the process so you are fully informed. His staff is also very helpful and customer centric. Great practice!
Amynah A.Dr Mahler and his staff at Smile 312 are the best. They’re friendly, and they listen to all your concerns and they respect your time. I went to see Dr Mahler for TMJ treatment and from day one his recommendations have made a big difference on my discomfort level.... read more
Jenniffer M.