Dental Emergencies

The American Dental Association (ADA) provides the general advice we include here regarding dental emergencies. Dr. Lousine Kirakosian, founder of New Look Dental located in Glendale, CA, will make every effort to see you on an emergency basis if you are experiencing dental pain, or have broken or cracked a tooth. However, these services are not available on a 24 hours’ basis. If you are injured, are bleeding, or are in severe pain, go immediately to your usual urgent care or emergency facility for medical attention.

What Defines A Dental Emergency?

A dental emergency is a situation where you are in danger of losing one or more teeth. A dental emergency on its own is not life-threatening. But an injury that threatens a tooth may also be part of a bigger medical emergency. For example, if you’re in a car accident, or fall and hit your face or head, or if you’re hit in the mouth while playing sports, you may break or crack a tooth—but you may also have other injuries as well that require immediate and more comprehensive medical care. If you think that more than your tooth may be injured, seek immediate medical help by a general care provider.

Our dentist offers a wide array of reparative and restorative dental techniques to correct cracks, breaks, chips and other dental injuries, including dental veneers, bonding, bridges, and dentures.

Here’s some advice from the ADA about immediate steps to take for a dental emergency, while you seek help:

For an adult tooth that’s been knocked out:

  • Keep the tooth moist until you can get to a dentist or other medical care.
  • If possible, try placing the tooth back in its socket without touching the root.

Other options:

  • Immediately place the tooth in your mouth (between cheek and gum) to keep it moist
  • Place tooth in milk (in a container or sandwich bag)

For a cracked tooth:

  • Immediately rinse your mouth with warm water
  • Apply a cold compress (a bag of frozen peas works well) on the face to reduce swelling

Bitten lip or tongue:

  • Clean the area gently with warm water
  • Apply a cold compress
  • If there’s significant or persistent bleeding, get immediate medical care

What If My Tooth Just Hurts?

If you haven’t had an injury, but have a tooth that constantly hurts, that toothache signals that it’s definitely time to see the dentist. Decay in the tooth or infection in the gum may be the cause. Other issues, including misalignment of a crown or other dental work, may also cause pain. Our dentist will conduct a full exam to detect and understand where your pain is coming from, and how to best deal with it.