Emergency Dentist in Springfield, IL
Dental emergencies never happen at convenient times. Even worse, these emergencies can leave you wondering about the future of your oral health and comfort. At Ruggless Dental, we are here to provide emergency dental care so that you can enjoy a happy and healthy smile again.
Because we understand how frightening and confusing a dental emergency can be, we want to be there for you every step of the way during your treatment and recovery. If you injure your tooth or are in severe pain due to a toothache, you shouldn’t wait to get help—instead, you should arrange the nearest time to see our emergency dentist.
Dr. Shane Ruggless, DMD is always available to treat dental emergencies near Springfield, IL, and our dental practice is accepting new patients for both routine and emergent dental care. To schedule a visit with our emergency dentist, please call (217) 787-0212 today!
- Common Dental Emergencies
- Situations that Don't Require Emergency Dental Care
- How Our Springfield Emergency Dentist Will Treat You
- Preventive Dentistry & Avoiding Dental Emergencies
- Contact Ruggless Dental for Emergency Dental Care
Common Dental Emergencies
If you experience dental pain, you might hesitate to call our office, thinking that the pain will go away or that you can put off treatment. We encourage you to contact us at the first sign that something is wrong so we can determine if an emergency dental appointment will be necessary and make a plan to restore your health.
Dental emergencies are situations that require immediate treatment to save a tooth, stop significant bleeding, relieve unbearable pain, or address a life-threatening oral infection.
Some of the most common dental emergencies we treat include:
- Severe tooth pain
- Swelling around a tooth or in the neck or jaw
- Broken teeth
- A broken or lost restoration that is painful or putting the tooth at risk
- Oral infection
- Considerable bleeding
- Facial trauma
- Knocked-out teeth
- Tooth discoloration caused by decay or a dying nerve
- Significantly sore or inflamed gums
- A broken or damaged denture
- Extreme tooth sensitivity
As the patient, you will be the first one to notice signs of a potential dental emergency. If you’re experiencing pain, discomfort, or an irregular sensation in a tooth to the point where it disrupts your sleep or your daily routine, you most likely have an emergency on your hands.
If you experience pain or any of the other symptoms listed above, call us right away at (217) 787-0212. Our clinical team will ask you a series of questions to determine when and how you can be treated. If you have significant discomfort, our emergency dentist in Springfield, IL will do his best to treat you that very same day.
Situations That Don't Require Emergency Dental Care
If a dental emergency is a situation that requires immediate treatment, then oral injuries that don’t require immediate treatment are generally not considered dental emergencies.
If you sustain a minor injury to your tooth, jaw, or soft tissues, Dr. Ruggless will still want to see you and examine the area—but he won’t likely need to see you that same day. Emergency dental appointments often take place after hours or even in the middle of the night, so if your injury is not severe, we will schedule a standard dental appointment during our regular business hours.
If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, your situation is probably not emergent, and you do not need to schedule a dental appointment for that same day:
- A tooth with a tiny chip
- Gums that bleed when you brush or floss your teeth
- A mild toothache
- A filling or tooth crown that popped out but isn’t causing you pain or discomfort
- Minor bleeding on your lip, tongue, cheek, or gums that you’re able to control with gauze and pressure
As a general rule, if your dental condition isn’t disrupting your daily life or isn’t extremely painful, it can probably wait until the next morning. Emergency dentistry in Springfield involves injuries that are genuinely time-sensitive or threaten your long-term oral health.
Whenever you’re unsure about whether you need an emergent dental visit, don’t hesitate to contact us at (217) 787-0212. A member of our treatment team will walk through your symptoms with you and help you determine the best next steps.
How Our Springfield Emergency Dentist Will Treat You
When you arrive in our dental office, Dr. Shane Ruggless will have one of our dental hygienists or assistants take an x-ray so that he can use it to diagnose your condition. Once he determines the nature of your dental emergency, he will discuss your treatment options with you and help you make a decision that is best for you.
Depending on your situations, treatments for dental emergencies can include:
It is always our goal to restore your comfort and create a treatment plan to restore your oral health. We will treat your dental emergency appropriately and then schedule any necessary follow-up care to ensure proper healing or to complete essential restorative work.
Preventive Dentistry & Avoiding Dental Emergencies
The best way to avoid future dental emergencies is by practicing good prevention! Excellent home care that includes brushing and flossing, along with getting regular dental exams and professional cleanings, is a great way to keep your smile looking and feeling its best.
You can take these simple steps to avoid future dental emergencies:
- Never bite into anything that is not food! Using your teeth to open bottles or to tear open packages can put your teeth and smile at risk
- Brush and floss every day. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can skip a few days of flossing or only brush when your teeth feel noticeably dirty. If you want to ensure your smile stays safe, you need to practice good oral hygiene every day, multiple times a day
- Drink plenty of water. Water washes away bacteria and food debris from your smile, and the fluoride found in most drinking water strengthens your teeth
- Visit your dentist in Springfield, IL regularly. Protecting your teeth against potential emergencies means visiting the dentist even when your teeth are healthy, and you feel like nothing is wrong
- Protect your mouth during contact sports. Simple steps like wearing a mouthguard can mean the difference between saving your teeth or losing them
Even the most diligent of patients may still experience unexpected dental emergencies. When you need us, our friendly and compassionate treatment team is here to help you get back on the path to good health and feel comfortable with your smile again.
Contact Ruggless Dental for Emergency Dental Care
If your mouth is in pain or if you’ve sustained a severe injury to your mouth or teeth, you need to call our emergency dentist in Springfield, IL right away. Fixing many dental injuries is a race against the clock, and acting fast can potentially save your tooth.
If your injury is substantial enough, our treatment team will want to see you right away—no matter the time of day or night. When you have a broken tooth, severely bleeding tooth, broken jaw, knocked-out tooth, or other serious threat to your dental well-being, it’s a dental emergency. Dr. Ruggless’s experience and gentle approach to dental care will have you looking and feeling your best again soon!
Our dentist office is located off West Monroe Street, near Washington Park in Springfield, IL. Give us a call at (217) 787-0212 to speak with a team member and determine next steps with emergency dental care.
