Picture this: after a nasty fall or accident, one of your teeth has split in two, leaving a jagged edge behind in your mouth. Your horror is matched only by your sudden pain, which is so bad you can barely think of anything else.

Emergency dentistry is your best bet in situations like these, whether they happen in the day or night. However, if you often wait for an appointment with your regular dentist, you might be wondering if your emergency care will be delayed. How long does it take to see an emergency dentist, anyway, and what can you do in the meantime?

We're here to walk you through the timeline for dental care, your next steps, and the benefits of seeing an experienced dentist. Read on for more. 

How Soon Can I Get Dental Care?

The answer depends on where you go! If you need urgent care, you'll have to go to a clinic designed to provide it.

Here at Ivanhoe Dental Group, we take dental emergencies very seriously. In many cases, it's crucial to see a specialist right away to avoid long-term damage. Because of this, our focus is on providing fast, compassionate care as soon as a patient needs it.

Dental issues don't always strike at a convenient moment. That's why we've established an emergency appointment line that allows patients to get in touch with us any time they need help quickly.

We also offer immediate attention as often as we can provide it. In most cases, we'll be able to take care of your emergency right when you come in. If not, we can often arrange a same-day appointment for you.

If you can't call us, you can also swing by the office, even without an appointment. We'll do everything we can to get you into an immediate dental exam. If this isn't possible, we'll still get you the next available appointment.

What Should I Do Until Then?

Let's say you have a dental emergency and you can't get immediate care. Maybe it's late in the evening, maybe you can't find an available appointment, or maybe you're juggling personal responsibilities. What can you do in the meantime to manage your symptoms?

The answer is easy: give us a call!

Even if we can't get you an appointment right away, our team will try to figure out what's going on over the phone. We'll walk you through steps to manage your symptoms and preserve your smile until you can see one of our specialists. You never have to deal with pain, bleeding, a fractured or broken tooth, or other emergencies on your own!

Don't hesitate to call us when you're not sure you have an emergency on your hands. We'd rather you raise a false alarm and get the help you need than delay care because you think your issue is too minor for urgent care.

Should I Go to the Hospital?

If you've suffered from dental trauma, you might be wondering if urgent care or an emergency room would be a safer bet than your dentist.

In general, it's best to leave dental trauma to a dentist. These professionals have the expertise to deal with specialized oral issues like broken or lost teeth, missing crowns or fillings, toothaches, and more. Worse, some of the millions of people visiting emergency rooms each year could have gone to a dental clinic instead, relieving the strain on medical providers.

As a bonus, you're unlikely to wait as long to see a dentist as you are for an emergency room visit! The medical professionals there may make you wait as they treat patients with more serious or life-threatening injuries.

The exception to this, of course, is if you have a serious or life-threatening condition. If your dental trauma has caused severe lacerations or a broken jaw, for example, head to the ER! The same is true if you're having trouble opening your mouth, speaking, or breathing.

Medical doctors may not be able to treat your dental issues, but they can help stabilize you until you can see a dentist. They can also help ease serious infections, pain, or inflammation like your dentist can, though they won't be able to address the root cause of these conditions.

Do I Really Need an Emergency Dentist?

It's hard to overstate how important it is to visit a dentist in an emergency situation.

Having an emergency dentist gives you immediate access to care when you need it most. Thanks to their expertise in treatments like tooth splinting or dental abscess drainage, you can manage dental trauma fast with minimal pain and discomfort.

This quick treatment can help reduce your risk of long-term complications or even irreversible damage from your trauma. Some conditions, including infections and abscesses, can become a serious threat to your health, so fast treatment is crucial!

In addition, one of the biggest benefits of emergency dentistry is peace of mind. Your dentist can dispel any stress or anxiety you have, allowing you to relax with the knowledge that your oral health is in good hands.

Will It Hurt?

More than likely, your current pain is far worse than any discomfort you'll feel in the dentist's chair! This is especially true if you've left your condition untreated for a while.

The goal of any good emergency dentist is to give you fast relief and to preserve your teeth. They'll provide anesthetic if needed as well as medications to address any pain. Once they've treated the root cause of your pain, you'll start to feel much better.

Get Emergency Dentistry Now

Here's the bottom line: the right specialist will help you manage trauma and minimize your pain fast. Emergency dentistry is essential if you want to preserve your smile, so make sure you have a trusted expert on speed dial today.

If you're looking for an emergency dentist in Riverdale, IL, we hope you'll trust the experienced team at Ivanhoe Dental Group. From severe toothaches to infections to fractures, we have the skills to help with any kind of dental trauma. To get urgent care, come by our office, call our emergency line at (708) 849-8627, or request an appointment online today.