With our dual training in the surgical and aesthetic restoration of your case, we’re here to make sure your result looks like nothing ever happened.
As the dentist for the Chicago Blackhawks and a specialist in caring for these situations, Dr. Schelkopf has managed emergency and trauma cases more times than he can count. His trust and expertise is here to help you navigate your situation.
Dental trauma and aesthetic emergencies almost always demand two things at once — immediate stabilization, and a plan that functionally and aesthetically supports the long-term result. Done together, they save the tooth and the smile.
With our comfort and experience of having done this thousands of times, we easily accommodate our patients and this urgency to ensure optimal overall management of the situation. Although an emergency is more urgent, the treatment and procedures are no different from our daily caseload. And this is what makes our management and your experience go smoothly.
Time and the proper immediate care is critical for your final result. Call the practice as soon as something has happened, and we will generally see you the same day when possible. Our expertise is here to help.
Because time is of the essence, we’ll often immediately provide care on the initial visit — relieving any pain or swelling, stabilizing any fractures and dislocated teeth, and properly — surgically and prosthetically — treating the situation from the beginning in order to set up the best long-term result. This urgent and proper attention to the situation is what sets up the success of our results.
With proper management from the start, design and delivery of the final restoration goes smoothly to deliver an outcome that looks like nothing ever happened. At this time, if you would prefer to address any other lingering concerns of your smile as well, this can be included to really turn lemons into lemonade.
Dental emergencies are not all the same — a lost veneer or crown, a fractured or failing front tooth, a mouth injury involving multiple teeth, and a toothache are all urgent, but the proper treatment for each may differ. What they all share is this though: the immediate decision and appropriate attention shapes what is possible afterward. Our specialty training and experience is what allows this to be managed correctly from the start.
Sometimes an emergency is not painful, but more a discomfort or social concern — we understand. When a veneer or crown comes loose, the underlying tooth becomes sensitive, the area is sharp to the tongue, or it is an aesthetic and social concern. When this happens, we have both interim and permanent solutions to help you through the issue.
A problem with the front tooth is often patients’ greatest fear. Managing these situations is the highest-stakes emergency in the smile, which is what Dr. Schelkopf’s training is absolutely perfect for. The planning, the expertise and experience, and his fine surgical and aesthetic personal touch are critical for ideal management of a situation like this. His gentle touch and calm demeanor put his patients at ease, knowing their problem will be managed carefully and treated successfully.
A fall, a sports injury, or any accident involving your teeth and mouth demands more than a quick fix. From the beginning, your dual-trained specialist will manage the surgical and aesthetic care of the soft tissue, the gums, the bone, and the teeth — preserving and protecting the support for the final, healed result. Each step in the process supports the plan and vision from the start. This is the difference between a seamless result and a noticeable difference.
A toothache, a visible swelling, or a tender area always has a source — a fractured tooth, an infected root canal, a leaking restoration, or a growing cavity. Our careful diagnosis identifies the cause precisely before any intervention is performed, so the emergency visit doesn’t just relieve the symptom — it begins the right long-term plan to restoring the health, functionality, and appearance of the problematic tooth.
Root resorption — whether external (often following prior trauma, orthodontic forces, or inflammation) or internal (originating within the pulp itself) — is one of the more challenging situations to manage, because the tooth is often quietly being lost from the inside out. By the time it’s noticed, the structural integrity of the tooth is frequently compromised beyond repair. Our expertise in the surgical removal of the failing tooth, preservation of the supporting bone and soft tissue, and the aesthetic replacement — most often with an implant-supported restoration — is what allows this difficult situation to be managed seamlessly from beginning to end.
A chipped tooth is one of the most common aesthetic emergencies — and certainly one where details matter. The right answer depends on how much tooth structure is lost, where the chip sits in the smile, and whether the fragment can be retrieved and re-bonded as the most conservative option. Where bonding is appropriate, our careful attention to shape, translucency, and surface texture allows the repair to disappear into the surrounding tooth. Where more is needed, a veneer or full-coverage restoration is designed and delivered to look as if nothing ever happened.
The mistake in emergency care is treating the first visit as purely palliative, instead of in a manner that best supports the final outcome. Often this is due to overlooking the interrelationship between the aesthetics of the final outcome and the clinical or surgical intervention from the beginning. The most critical step in the entire process is the first step — preserving and protecting natural structures. Supporting biology with proper surgical techniques and prosthetic tools throughout the process is what makes the final result look as if nothing ever happened. Dr. Schelkopf’s dual training allows his patients an experience that optimizes the final outcome of the case while supporting a comfortable and seamless presentation throughout the interim of the process.
Whether the case is a single fractured central incisor or a multi-tooth trauma combining implants, crowns, and bonding — the same hand diagnoses, designs, prepares, and delivers. The same studio fabricates every component. The emergency is treated to the same standard as every elective case.
Your care is an investment in your confidence, your comfort, and your happiness. Our team is always here for you, making every step clear and comfortable, through transparent, thoughtful conversations about expectations before any treatment begins — from appointment coordination and finances to timing and travel.
If you would like to better understand what to expect, see what our patients have to say about their experiences.
Patient reviewsIf something has just happened, call the practice. If the emergency has been managed elsewhere and you want a specialist’s plan for what comes next, every patient begins with a consultation — virtual or in person.