Emergency dentist in La Mesa

Dental injuries, accidents, and tooth damage can happen at any time, and often do during the evenings and weekends when dental offices are closed. But in dental emergency cases, it’s important to seek immediate attention before the damage worsens. At La Mesa Dental Center, we offer emergency dental services and extended hours as needed to address a range of urgent dental conditions.

What is considered a dental emergency?

In general, any dental problem that requires immediate treatment in order to alleviate severe pain, stop excessive bleeding, or save a tooth is considered a dental emergency. If you experience any of the following conditions, be sure to call La Mesa Dental Center immediately:

  • Severe toothache 
  • Tooth knocked out
  • Gum/tongue/cheek injuries with bleeding that does not stop
  • Broken or loose braces
  • Significantly chipped teeth, especially with sharp edges
  • Broken teeth that are cracked or in pieces
  • Lost filling or crown 
  • Loose adult tooth
  • Abscess, swelling, or other signs of severe infection
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What are the most common causes of dental emergencies?

According to the American Dental Association, the number one cause of adult tooth damage is playing sports. From organized team sports to backyard games, many sports activities can result in a tooth being damaged or knocked out. Car accidents are another leading cause of tooth injury, but not all dental emergencies are the result of sudden trauma. Toothaches often gradually grow more serious, especially when caused by gum disease and cavities, and dental abscesses are the result of tooth infections left untreated for long periods of time.

What dental emergency treatments are available?

Knocked-out teeth, if still intact, can typically be re-inserted into the jaw bone, but if saving the tooth is not possible, it can be replaced with dentures, a dental bridge, or dental implants. Repairing broken, cracked, or chipped teeth will depend on the severity and extent of the damage—small chips can be repaired with dental bonding, which uses a tooth-colored composite resin to fill in the missing portion. Severely broken or cracked teeth can be repaired with a larger filling or dental crown, while smaller breaks and cracks can be covered with a dental veneer.

For infected teeth or gums, the dentist will drain any abscesses and prescribe antibiotics, and if the infection is severe enough, the dentist may need to perform root canal therapy or even extraction. For lost or damaged dental restorations such as fillings or crowns, the dentist can relieve pain and discomfort with a new filling or temporary replacement crown until a permanent replacement is fabricated.

What should patients do before the emergency appointment?

Whether you have to wait an hour or overnight for your emergency dental appointment, there are many home remedies available to relieve pain and discomfort, and also decrease the chances for complications down the road.

Toothaches: 

  • Hold a cold compress against the outside of your mouth near the sore tooth
  • Rinse your mouth with salt water to kill bacteria and alleviate inflammation
  • Apply an oral numbing gel on the tooth and surrounding gums

Broken or cracked teeth:

  • Save any pieces of the tooth if possible and store in milk
  • Hold a cold compress against your cheek
  • Bite down on gauze to slow any bleeding

Knocked-out teeth:

  • Rinse tooth in warm water—do not dry—and try to only touch the crown, not the root
  • If possible, replace the tooth in the socket immediately and hold it there with clean gauze
  • If re-inserting the tooth isn’t possible, place the tooth in a container of cold milk
  • If the knocked-out tooth is a baby tooth, do not re-insert, but call the dentist for guidance

Lost or damaged filling:

  • Place dental wax or sugar-free chewing gum in the empty space to relieve sensitivity

Lost or damaged crown or veneer:

  • Apply clove oil to the tooth to relieve soreness
  • Temporarily reattach with denture glue—never use superglue or other household glue

Dental abscess:

  • Use cold compresses and over-the-counter pain medication to relieve pain
  • Rinse with salt water to alleviate inflammation
  • Eat only soft foods

Severe facial injury:

  • Seek out immediate medical attention first for potential head or brain injury, then seek emergency dental care afterward

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, call the emergency line at La Mesa Dental Center at  (619) 337-2424. 

 

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