Need Emergency Dental Care? Tell Us What’s Going On.
If you are in pain or something has suddenly changed with a tooth, filling, crown, or dental implant, give us a call.
Same-day and next-day appointments are available.
For an emergency, calling (314) 434-7300 is better than submitting an online appointment request. It gives our team a chance to hear what is happening and find the soonest appropriate appointment for you.
Not sure whether your problem counts as an emergency? Call anyway. We can help you decide what to do next.
Dental Emergencies We Treat
Some dental problems can wait for a routine appointment. Others are better addressed as soon as possible.
Birk Dental provides emergency care for concerns such as:
- Severe or persistent toothaches
- Cracked or broken teeth
- Knocked-out teeth
- Dental infections and abscesses
- Facial or gum swelling
- Lost or broken fillings
- Loose or lost dental crowns
- Injuries to the teeth or gums
- Unexpected or persistent bleeding
- Loose dental implants
- Dental implants that have fallen out
- Pain or swelling around a dental implant
- Other sudden or urgent dental problems
If you are uncomfortable, worried, or simply know something is not right, you do not need to diagnose the problem yourself. That is our job.
What Should I Do During a Dental Emergency?
What you do before getting to the dentist can sometimes make a difference.
Severe Toothache
Gently rinse your mouth with warm water and floss around the painful tooth in case something is caught between the teeth.
Do not place aspirin directly against the tooth or gum tissue.
If the pain is severe, keeps returning, or is making it difficult to eat or sleep, call us. Tooth pain usually has an underlying cause that needs to be addressed.
Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth
Handle the tooth by the crown, which is the part normally visible in your mouth. Try not to touch the root.
If it is dirty, rinse it gently without scrubbing. Keep the tooth moist and contact Birk Dental immediately.
Time matters with a knocked-out tooth, so call as soon as you can.
Broken or Cracked Tooth
Gently rinse your mouth and save any pieces of the tooth you can find.
Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth until the tooth has been examined. Even a tooth that is not very painful can have damage that gets worse with continued biting pressure.
Lost Crown
If you still have the crown, keep it and bring it with you.
Avoid chewing on the exposed tooth, and do not use household glue or another adhesive to try to put the crown back on yourself.
Swelling or Suspected Dental Infection
Call us promptly if you develop swelling, throbbing pain, tenderness, drainage, or a bump on the gums.
If swelling becomes severe or you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, seek immediate medical attention.
Toothaches, Dental Infections and Swelling
A bad toothache has a way of taking over your entire day.
Sometimes the cause is straightforward. Other times, pain that seems to be coming from one tooth may actually be related to an infection, crack, damaged restoration, or another problem.
Common causes of dental pain include:
- Tooth decay
- A cracked or fractured tooth
- Infection inside a tooth
- A dental abscess
- A damaged filling or crown
- Gum inflammation or infection
Dr. Birk will examine the area and determine what is actually causing the pain before recommending treatment.
Depending on what we find, treatment could involve repairing the tooth, treating an infection, completing a root canal, or removing a tooth that can no longer be predictably saved.
Our goal is not simply to make the pain disappear for a few hours. We want to address the reason it hurts.
Broken, Cracked or Injured Teeth
A tooth can break because of an accident, decay, an old restoration, or something as simple as biting into unexpectedly hard food.
Sometimes you will immediately see the damage. Other times, the only clue is pain when you bite down or new sensitivity to hot and cold.
Depending on the condition of the tooth, treatment may include:
When a crown is needed, Birk Dental’s CEREC same-day crown technology allows many teeth to be restored with a custom ceramic crown in a single appointment.
That can be especially helpful during an emergency because you may be able to repair and protect the tooth without waiting weeks for a laboratory-made restoration.
Lost Crowns and Fillings
A filling or crown can loosen or come out unexpectedly, even when the tooth felt perfectly normal beforehand.
You may notice sensitivity, a rough or sharp area, or simply realize that part of the restoration is missing.
Even if you are not in significant pain, the tooth should still be evaluated. Without the restoration protecting it, the tooth may be more vulnerable to sensitivity, decay, or additional damage.
If a crown has come off, bring it with you.
Dr. Birk will look at both the tooth and the restoration and explain whether it can be repaired, replaced, or needs additional treatment.
Dental Implant Emergencies
Because Birk Dental provides dental implant care in-office, we also see patients when something unexpectedly goes wrong with an implant or implant restoration.
Call us if:
- Your dental implant feels loose
- An implant crown or restoration comes off
- A dental implant has fallen out
- You develop new or increasing pain around an implant
- The gums surrounding an implant become swollen or tender
- Your bite suddenly feels different
- Something simply does not feel right around the implant
There are several possible reasons an implant or its restoration may begin causing problems. Dr. Birk can evaluate the implant, surrounding tissue, and restoration to determine what is happening and discuss the appropriate next step.
Emergency Root Canals and Tooth Extractions
Not every painful tooth needs to be removed.
If an infection has reached the inside of a tooth but the tooth can still be saved, root canal treatment may be the best way to eliminate the infection while keeping your natural tooth in place.
If a tooth is badly fractured, severely infected, or cannot be predictably restored, an extraction may make more sense.
Dr. Birk performs both root canals and tooth extractions in-office.
That means many emergency patients can be diagnosed and treated at Birk Dental without having to find another office and start the process over again.
Before moving forward, we will explain what we found, what your options are, and why a particular treatment is being recommended.
What Happens at an Emergency Dental Appointment?
You do not need to arrive knowing exactly what is wrong.
Start by telling us what happened.
Where does it hurt? When did it start? Did something break? Has the pain been getting worse?
Dr. Birk will examine the area and may take dental images when needed to see what is happening beneath the surface.
Once we understand the problem, we will explain it in plain language and talk through your options.
When treatment can reasonably begin during that visit, we will work to take care of the problem and get you feeling better as quickly as possible.
If additional care is needed, you will leave knowing what comes next.
Same-Day and Next-Day Emergency Dental Appointments
If you are dealing with a painful tooth, being told the next available appointment is a week away does not help much.
Birk Dental offers same-day and next-day emergency appointments so patients can get answers and treatment sooner.
We see both new and existing patients for dental emergencies.
You do not need to already be a patient here. You also do not need to wait until a problem becomes unbearable before calling.
For the soonest available emergency appointment, call (314) 434-7300.
What If My Dental Emergency Happens After Hours?
Dental problems do not always cooperate with office hours.
If something happens after Birk Dental has closed, call (314) 434-7300 and leave a voicemail explaining what is going on.
Our team will return your call and work to get you into the schedule first thing in the morning.
If you are experiencing severe facial trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or another potentially life-threatening condition, seek immediate medical attention.
Why Choose Birk Dental for Emergency Dentistry?
When you are hurting, you want to know that the person you call can actually help.
Many Treatments Available Under One Roof
Dr. Birk provides a broad range of care in-office, including root canals, tooth extractions, restorative dentistry, dental crowns, and dental implant treatment.
For many emergency patients, that means fewer referrals and fewer stops before the problem is resolved.
Same-Day Crown Technology
Birk Dental uses CEREC technology to create many custom ceramic crowns right in the office.
When a broken or badly damaged tooth needs a crown, that technology may allow us to restore the tooth during a single visit.
Straightforward, Judgment-Free Care
Maybe you come to the dentist every six months.
Maybe it has been a few years.
Either way, the priority during an emergency is taking care of the problem in front of us. You will not get a lecture about how you ended up here.
We will explain what we see, answer your questions, and help you make an informed decision about treatment.
New Patients Are Welcome
You do not need an established relationship with Birk Dental before calling with an emergency.
If you need help, call us.
Convenient Emergency Dental Care in Creve Coeur
Birk Dental is located at 11641 Olive Blvd. in Creve Coeur, Missouri, making our office convenient for patients in Creve Coeur and nearby St. Louis communities.
Emergency Dentistry FAQs
Can Birk Dental See Me Today for a Dental Emergency?
Same-day and next-day emergency appointments are available. Call (314) 434-7300 and let us know what is happening so our team can find the soonest appropriate appointment.
Do You Accept New Emergency Patients?
Yes. Birk Dental sees both new and existing patients for dental emergencies.
Can Dr. Birk Perform an Emergency Root Canal?
Yes. Dr. Birk performs root canal treatment in-office when it is the appropriate way to treat an infected or badly damaged tooth.
Can You Pull a Tooth During an Emergency Appointment?
Yes. Dr. Birk performs tooth extractions in-office when an extraction is the appropriate treatment. He will examine the tooth first and explain whether it can reasonably be saved or should be removed.
What Should I Do If My Crown Falls Off?
Keep the crown, avoid chewing on the exposed tooth, and call Birk Dental. Bring the crown with you to your appointment, and do not try to glue it back into place yourself.
Do You Treat Dental Implant Emergencies?
Yes. Call us if an implant becomes painful or loose, falls out, or if you notice a problem with an implant crown or restoration.
When Should I Go to an Emergency Room Instead of a Dentist?
Most toothaches, broken teeth, lost restorations, and dental infections should be evaluated by a dentist. Severe facial trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or another potentially life-threatening problem requires immediate medical attention.
Need an Emergency Dentist in Creve Coeur?
Emergencies happen unexpectedly. Knowing who to call can make the situation a lot easier.
If you have a painful tooth, infection, broken restoration, dental injury, implant problem, or another urgent concern, call Birk Dental.
Same-day and next-day appointments are available for new and existing patients.
Tell us what is going on, and we will work to get you into the office as soon as possible.
Call Birk Dental at (314) 434-7300 for an emergency dental appointment.
