For people in Downers Grove and Lemont, including anyone who has avoided care for years. We see you as soon as we can and keep you comfortable, with sedation available for anyone who feels anxious, and no judgment about how long it has been.
A dental emergency is a dental problem that needs prompt care to stop pain, bleeding, swelling, or the loss of a tooth. Common examples are a severe toothache, a knocked-out tooth or a broken tooth, a lost filling or a lost crown, and facial swelling from a dental infection or abscess.
For a knocked-out tooth, handling it by the crown, keeping it moist in milk or your own saliva, and getting care quickly all give it the best chance, because time matters. Facial swelling along with a fever can signal a spreading infection, so treat it as urgent and get care promptly.
Some dental problems need care within hours, while others are uncomfortable but can safely wait a day or two, and the difference usually comes down to pain, bleeding, swelling, and whether a tooth has been lost. If you are unsure, call us and we will help you decide.
Pick the problem that fits what you are feeling, because each one has its own first-aid step and its own path to care here. If you have a soft-tissue injury, such as a cut lip, tongue, or gum, press gently with clean gauze to slow the bleeding and call us.
Rinse with warm water and use a cold compress; over-the-counter pain relief can ease it for now.
We find the cause of the toothache and treat it, with sedation if you feel anxious.
Hold it by the crown, keep it moist in milk, and call us within the hour.
We try to save the knocked-out tooth where we can and relieve the pain.
Save any pieces, rinse gently, and cover a sharp edge with dental wax if you have it.
We assess the broken or chipped tooth and rebuild or protect it.
Keep the lost crown if you still have it, and avoid chewing on that side.
We replace the lost filling or refit the crown and check the tooth underneath.
Use a cold compress and call promptly, especially with a fever.
We treat the swelling and the dental abscess and get you out of pain.
Stop wearing the broken piece and keep all the parts.
We repair or replace the broken denture or bridge so you can eat and speak again.
Your emergency visit starts with getting you out of pain: we assess the problem, relieve the pain where we safely can that day, and then plan any further treatment with you. Pain relief comes first where it is safe, and then you get a clear treatment plan for anything further.
We talk through what is happening.
We assess the problem and take any X-ray needed.
We relieve the pain that visit where we safely can.
We plan any further treatment, price confirmed in writing.
Depending on what we find, further care might include root canal therapy, an extraction, or a crown, all handled here. Nothing is rushed and nothing is pushed on you.
Dental anxiety is common and nothing to be embarrassed about, and here you can be treated with nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation, with no one lecturing you about how long it has been. Both are used here as a routine part of care for anxious patients, not as an add-on to sell you.
A gas you breathe in that helps you relax during treatment and wears off quickly afterward.
Oral conscious sedation: a pill taken before your visit that keeps you calm and comfortable while you are treated.
Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj DDS FDOCS FICOI holds a fellowship in sedation through DOCS Education, and judgment-free care is something patients bring up on their own.
If you are in pain, call the office nearest you, and we will get you seen as soon as we can, and give you a callback when you reach us during opening hours. We will not promise a time we cannot keep. Both offices are real, staffed premises, not a call center.
The cost of emergency dental care depends on what the problem turns out to need, so there is no single figure that fits every visit. At Dentique your price is confirmed in writing at the visit before any work is agreed.
Dentique works with most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and Humana. Financing is available through CareCredit, Cherry, and Sunbit. If you are a new patient and it fits your situation, the New Patient Special is $250 for a checkup, X-rays, and a cleaning, though that is a routine visit that cannot be combined with insurance, and it is not an emergency price.
Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj DDS FDOCS FICOI is a dentist with more than 30 years of experience across both offices, and he leads a practice that patients describe, without being asked, as judgment-free. He is the only dentist here, rotating between Downers Grove and Lemont, so the person who treats your emergency is the same person who cares for the practice long-term.
The same dentist treats your emergency and your follow-up.
Strong reviews across both offices.
Calm care for anxious and lapsed patients.
Confirmed before any treatment.
The emergency room can manage your tooth pain and any infection and can prescribe antibiotics or pain relief, but it usually cannot fix the tooth itself. A dentist treats the cause, so for a toothache the ER is a stop-gap for pain and swelling, not a repair.
The ER generally will not pull a tooth, even an infected one, because emergency rooms are not set up for dental extractions. They can help with pain, swelling, and infection and then refer you to a dentist for the tooth.
To ease throbbing nerve pain in a tooth for now, over-the-counter pain relief and a cold compress can help, and rinsing with warm salt water may settle it. This is temporary relief and does not fix the cause, so see a dentist.
If you have a dental emergency and no dentist, call a local practice like ours even if you have never been in, because most will help a person in pain, and we can use sedation if you are anxious. For a knocked-out tooth or bad swelling, call right away.
If you are pregnant and have tooth pain, you can go to the ER for severe pain, swelling, or infection, and dental care during pregnancy is generally considered safe when timed and managed properly. Tell any provider you are pregnant, and call a dentist for the tooth itself.
A tooth infection is worth taking seriously: a spreading dental infection or abscess can move beyond the tooth and needs prompt care, which is why we ask you to call quickly if you have swelling or a fever. Treated in time it is very manageable.
Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj DDS FDOCS FICOI, the dentist at Dentique Dental Care, wrote and clinically reviewed this page. His credentials are DDS, FDOCS (Fellow, DOCS Education, sedation), and FICOI (Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists). Clinically reviewed by a practicing dentist; review sign-off date added before publish.
You do not have to wait it out or dread the call. Reach the office nearest you and we will help you get out of pain as soon as we can, gently and at a pace that works for you. Sedation is available if you are anxious, and there is no judgment about how long it has been.
Judgment-free, sedation available, and we confirm your price in writing.
Get the smile you deserve today!