Our office is closed on Sunday, and we won't pretend otherwise. The phone is answered. Call (773) 555-0199 and the answering service books you into the first opening, Monday at 7:00 AM. Until then, here is what to do for pain, swelling, a knocked-out tooth or a broken denture.
Sunday is when teeth pick their moment. The game's on, and a molar that was fine on Friday decides it's done. This guide covers the hours between that moment and Monday morning, written by the office in Belmont Cragin you'd be calling.
Is any dentist in Chicago open on a Sunday?
We can only speak for ourselves, and we're closed Saturday and Sunday. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, with same-day emergency slots held at 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. We're not going to guess about other offices in the city. What we can promise is this: call (773) 555-0199 on Sunday, at any hour, and a real person answers. They note who you are, how to call you back and what's going on, and they reserve the first opening for you, Monday at 7:00 AM.
The answering service doesn't give medical advice or triage. The rest of this page is meant to help you decide how urgent your problem is.
Tooth pain on a Sunday
Most Sunday toothaches can be managed until 7:00 AM Monday. Not comfortably, but safely. Here is what tends to help:
- Rinse with warm salt water, a half teaspoon in a cup, a few times through the day
- Use a pain reliever from the pharmacy shelf, no more than the package says, if your doctor allows it
- Hold a cold pack or a bag of frozen peas against the cheek, 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off
- Floss gently around the tooth; a trapped piece of food can feel like a cavity
- Sleep with your head raised on two pillows, since lying flat makes the throb worse
- Eat on the side that doesn't hurt, and leave very hot, very cold and sugary things alone
Don't press aspirin against the gum. It scalds the tissue and the tooth gets no benefit. The Mayo Clinic's toothache first aid page covers the same ground. Our toothache relief page lays out what our dentists look for on Monday and the usual causes.
Swelling on a Sunday
Swelling changes the question. A tender bump on the gum or a cheek that's a little puffy usually means an abscess, a buildup of infection either under the root or in the gum beside the tooth. That needs a dentist soon, and Monday at 7:00 AM is soon enough for most of them. Keep rinsing, keep the cold pack going, and call us so the slot is held.
Some swelling can't wait. If breathing or swallowing has become difficult, if your mouth won't open all the way, if the swelling is reaching toward an eye or sliding down the neck, or if a high fever and chills have joined it, go to the emergency room on Sunday. Hospitals treat spreading infection and injuries; they generally don't treat the tooth itself. Once you're home, call us, and Monday we take it from there. The Mayo Clinic's page on tooth abscess explains how the infection travels and why the tooth still needs care afterward. Our dental abscess page covers what happens once you're in our chair on Monday.
A knocked-out tooth on a Sunday
Of all the Sunday problems, this is the one where minutes count. A permanent tooth that's out of the mouth for more than an hour is much harder to save. Pick it up by the crown, the white part, and don't touch the root. If it's dirty, rinse it quickly in milk or water, no scrubbing. If you're able, seat it back in the socket and close down softly on a clean cloth to keep it there. If that's not possible, carry it in a cup of milk or tucked inside your cheek. Never wrap it in a tissue or let it dry out.
Then call us; the service holds you Monday at 7:00 AM. If the accident also hurt your head or jaw, or you blacked out, the hospital comes first. The American Dental Association's MouthHealthy guide to dental emergencies matches these steps. Our knocked-out tooth page goes through what happens when the tooth can be saved and when it can't.
A broken denture on a Sunday
A cracked plate or a tooth that popped off a denture is miserable and not dangerous. Take the denture out if a sharp edge is cutting your gum. Save every piece, including the small ones, in a container with a little water. Keep household glue away from it; glue damages the acrylic and makes a proper repair harder.
Call us and the Monday slot is yours. We repair and reline dentures in-house, and we make partials, full dentures and immediate dentures after extractions. The MouthHealthy page on dentures has general care advice. Our emergency denture repair page explains what can usually be fixed at the first visit.
When the emergency room is the right call on Sunday
Go to the hospital on Sunday for any of these: swelling that is getting in the way of breathing or swallowing, swelling that is spreading toward the eye or neck, a tooth infection alongside a high fever, a face injury that may have broken the jaw or left a cut needing stitches, or mouth bleeding that 20 to 30 minutes of firm pressure hasn't stopped. The nearest emergency room to our office is Community First Medical Center, 5645 W Addison St, at Addison and Central, about a mile north of us, 3 to 6 minutes by car.
Everything else is a dental office problem, and the dental office opens Monday at 7:00 AM.
What happens when you call us on Sunday
The call is short. The answering service takes your name, your number and a line about the problem, and writes you into the first opening, Monday at 7:00 AM. Monday morning, the front desk already knows you're coming and why. You come to 5841 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60634, with parking on site, or on the 77 Belmont bus. Walk-ins aren't accepted, so the Sunday call is what gets you the slot.
The $99 covers an emergency exam, consultation and panoramic X-ray. Fees may be adjusted due to complications or unforeseen circumstances. Treatment is priced separately and quoted to you in writing before any work starts.
Once the X-ray is up, our dentists explain what the tooth needs and write the cost down before anything starts. When your insurer is one we work with, the exam and X-ray are billed to your plan. Plans and financing companies are both listed on the cost and insurance page. For the full picture on nights, Saturdays and holidays, the weekend and after-hours page is the place to go.
Frequently asked questions
Can I text you or book online on a Sunday?
No. There's no text line, no form and no online booking. The phone is the only way in, and it works at any hour: a person answers, writes down the basics and reserves Monday's first opening. That's by design. A real voice on a Sunday night beats a form that nobody reads until morning.
Do you see patients on Saturday instead?
No. We're closed Saturday and Sunday both. Friday-night, Saturday and Sunday calls all land in the same place: the first opening on Monday at 7:00 AM. If Monday is a holiday, the service reserves the earliest slot on the business morning that follows.
Will I really be seen first thing Monday?
If the service held you a time over the weekend, yes, that time is yours. If you haven't called by Monday, call at 7:00 AM sharp and the front desk fits you into the 8:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM emergency slots as they're available.
This article is general information, not dental advice. Call us or see a dentist for your own situation.