Do You Need an Emergency Dentist or the ER? Here’s How to Know
Do You Need an Emergency Dentist or the ER? Here’s How to Know.
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Emergency Dentist in Mundelein, IL — Call Now, We’ll See You Today
The short version
Having a dental emergency in Mundelein? Call Markiewicz Dental at (847) 566-2811. We reserve same-day appointments for emergencies and will do everything we can to see you the day you call — because severe tooth pain, a knocked-out tooth, or a broken crown doesn’t wait for a convenient time.
Whether it happened at dinner, at practice, or at 2 a.m., the guidance below covers what to do right now for the most common dental emergencies — and when the situation calls for the ER instead of a dentist.
When to go to the ER instead
If you have facial swelling that affects your breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or a possible broken jaw, go to the emergency room or call 911 first. Those situations need a hospital. For everything else dental, call us.
What Should I Do for a Knocked-Out Tooth?
Minutes matter — a knocked-out permanent tooth has the best chance of being saved if it’s back in place within about an hour. Pick the tooth up by the crown (the chewing end), never the root. If it’s dirty, rinse it gently with water — no scrubbing, no soap, no wrapping it in tissue. If you can, place it back in its socket and hold it there gently; if not, keep it moist in a glass of milk. Then call us immediately at (847) 566-2811. One important exception: do NOT put a knocked-out baby tooth back in the socket — bring your child and the tooth in, and we’ll take it from there.
What Should I Do for a Chipped or Broken Tooth?
Rinse your mouth with warm water and save any pieces you can find. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your face to limit swelling, and if an edge is sharp, a bit of sugar-free gum or dental wax over it protects your tongue and cheek until we see you. Call for a same-day appointment — even a small chip is worth checking, since cracks can run deeper than they look.
What Should I Do for a Severe Toothache?
Rinse with warm salt water and gently floss around the tooth — sometimes trapped food is the whole story. For pain, take an over-the-counter pain reliever as directed, but never place aspirin directly on the gum tissue; it burns the tissue and doesn’t help the tooth. Then call right away: pain this severe often signals an infection that needs prompt treatment, and infections don’t resolve on their own — they spread.
What About a Lost Crown, Filling, or Broken Denture?
Save the crown or the pieces and call us — this is urgent but rarely dire, and we’ll tell you over the phone how to protect the tooth until your visit. Resist the urge to glue anything back yourself with household adhesive; it makes proper repair harder and can trap bacteria against the tooth. The same goes for broken dentures or appliances: bring all the pieces, attempt no home repairs.
What Counts as a Dental Emergency?
If you’re in pain or something’s broken, call — we’d rather tell you it can wait than have you wait when it can’t. We treat all dental emergencies, including:
- Severe toothache or tooth pain
- Chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
- Knocked-out teeth
- Lost or broken crowns, bridges, or fillings
- Dental abscess or swelling
- Soft tissue injuries — cut gums, bitten lip or tongue
- Lost or broken dentures and dental appliances
- Objects caught between teeth
What If It’s After Hours?
Call our office at (847) 566-2811 and follow the prompts for after-hours emergency instructions. We do our best to accommodate urgent situations outside regular business hours — and if your situation is one of the ER cases above, don’t wait for a callback: go.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Emergencies
How fast do I need to act for a knocked-out tooth?
Ideally within 30 to 60 minutes — reimplantation success drops significantly after the first hour. Keep the tooth moist (in the socket or in milk), skip the scrubbing, and call us on your way. Even past the hour, come in: options remain, they’re just different ones.
Will you see me the same day?
We reserve appointment time specifically for emergencies and will do everything we can to see you the day you call. Call as early as you’re able — the sooner we know you’re coming, the better we can slot you in.
Is a dental abscess really an emergency?
Yes — treat it as one. An abscess is an active infection, and the swelling, throbbing pain, or bad taste it causes won’t resolve on its own; untreated, the infection can spread to the jaw and beyond. And if swelling ever affects your breathing or swallowing, that’s an ER visit, not a dental appointment.
My toothache went away on its own. Am I in the clear?
Unfortunately, probably not. When severe tooth pain suddenly stops, it often means the nerve inside the tooth has died — the infection is still there, now progressing quietly. It’s one of dentistry’s crueler tricks. Get the tooth examined even though it stopped hurting; you may still be in time to save it simply.
What if my child knocks out a baby tooth?
Don’t put it back in the socket — reimplanting a baby tooth can damage the permanent tooth developing underneath. Control any bleeding with gentle pressure from clean gauze, comfort your child, bring the tooth with you, and call us. We’ll check that everything underneath is okay.
How much does an emergency visit cost?
It depends on what we find and what treatment you need — an exam and X-ray to diagnose the problem comes first, and we’ll explain your options and costs before any treatment beyond immediate pain relief. Don’t let cost uncertainty keep you from calling; untreated emergencies reliably become more expensive ones.
Patient reviews
From people who had this done here.
Chipped a front tooth on a Sunday and had a same-day appointment Monday morning. You honestly cannot tell anything happened. The whole team treated it like it mattered.
Dental emergency? Don’t wait it out. Call Markiewicz Dental now at (847) 566-2811 — same-day emergency appointments in Mundelein, IL. Serving Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Gurnee, and all of Lake County.
Or request an appointment onlineFrom the practice