Dental emergencies
Something is wrong. Call first.
Call us first, even if you are not sure it qualifies. During office hours, call the front desk. After hours, call 248-345-6775. We would rather tell you it can wait than have you sit on an infection over a weekend. If your child has trouble breathing or swallowing, a head injury, or uncontrolled bleeding, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room first.
Knocked-out permanent tooth
Pick it up by the crown, never the root. Rinse briefly, do not scrub. Put it back in the socket if you can, or keep it in milk, never water. Then call.
Broken or chipped tooth
Save any pieces you find. A chip that does not hurt can still have exposed the inner layers of the tooth. Call, and bring the fragment.
Swelling or bleeding
Facial swelling almost always means infection. Call the same day. Bleeding that will not stop with steady pressure needs a call now.
Is this an emergency, or can it wait?
Call us now if there is facial swelling, a permanent tooth knocked out or pushed out of position, bleeding that will not stop, a fracture that exposes the inside of the tooth, or pain severe enough to keep your child awake.
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room first if there is difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, a high fever with facial swelling, or a head injury or loss of consciousness. Those are medical emergencies, and the hospital comes first. The tooth can be looked at afterward.
A small chip with no pain, a lost filling, or a loose baby tooth can wait for a regular appointment. When you are unsure, call. That is what the line is for.
Same-day care
Bring your child in. We take it from there.
For a dental emergency during office hours, call and come straight in. Dr. Farooq sees injuries the same day, compares the tooth against your child’s prior records, and talks you both through each step before anything happens.
Call the emergency lineFriday to Sunday
Here’s what to do when the office is closed.
The office is closed Friday to Sunday. The line is not. We treat knocked-out and displaced teeth, fractures and chips, falls and sports injuries, severe toothache, and other mouth injuries.
- 01
Check the list above
If what you see is on the call-us-now list, call. If it is on the 911 list, call 911 or go to the emergency room first. If it is on the can-wait list, keep the tooth or the fragment safe and request a regular appointment.
- 02
Call the emergency line
248-345-6775. Say what happened, when, and how old your child is. Depending on severity, a visit may be arranged after hours, or you may be told plainly that it can wait.
- 03
Go to the ER for these
Difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, a high fever with swelling, a head injury, or loss of consciousness. Call 911 or go to the emergency room first. The tooth comes after.
- 04
While you wait
Keep a knocked-out permanent tooth in milk, never water, and never dry in a napkin. Save any fragment of a chipped tooth. Do not put a knocked-out baby tooth back in.
Questions parents ask
When it happens, here is what to do.
The questions parents ask us in the first ten minutes.
My child just knocked out a tooth. What do I do right now?
For a permanent tooth, act fast. Pick it up by the crown, never the root, because handling the root wipes off the ligament cells. Rinse briefly, do not scrub. Put it back in the socket if you can, or keep it in milk, never water. Call. Within thirty minutes the odds are strong. After an hour dry, much slimmer.
How do I know if this is an emergency or if it can wait?
Call us for facial swelling, a knocked-out or displaced permanent tooth, bleeding that will not stop, a fracture that exposes the inside of the tooth, or pain that keeps your child awake. A small chip with no pain or a loose baby tooth can wait.
My child’s face is swollen. How urgent is this?
Urgent. Swelling almost always means infection, and a dental infection in a child can spread faster than parents expect. Call us the same day. If there is fever with trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 or go to the emergency room first.
Chipped tooth, no pain. Still call?
Yes, and bring the fragment. A chip with no pain can still expose the inner layers, and a nerve can be injured without hurting at first. Many small chips are repaired in one visit.
Why call you instead of urgent care?
We have your child’s chart and prior images, so we compare an injured tooth to how it looked six months ago rather than guess. We know how they behave in the chair. Dr. Naila Farooq has done only pediatric dentistry since 1999.
What parents say about our emergency care.
Google review“Just this last weekend we had a dental emergency with my 4 year old son. We called the emergency line and she answered right away. I sent her pictures of the tooth and she assured us that he would be OK and that I could come in Monday morning to get him looked at.”
Google review“She responded to my after-hours call when my kids weren’t even patients of hers. My toddler fell and his teeth were knocked back. She had us send her pictures, then called me back with next steps, and we were able to skip the ER and see her the next morning at 8:30.”
Google review“My son had a really bad toothache and my dentist’s office was closed for a week. When I called, I was able to schedule an emergency appointment within an hour! Dr. Farooq is very knowledgeable and fast. She explained everything step by step and gave options.”
After the emergency
Appointment request
Not urgent? Request an appointment.
For anything that can wait, send a request and our front desk will call you back during office hours to set a time.
Happening right now? Call.