Unexpected dental emergencies can cause severe pain, bleeding, or injuries that require urgent attention. If not treated, these emergencies can permanently cause tooth loss, severe infection, or other lasting problems. Spotting a dental emergency is essential for your oral and general health. You should act quickly if you have a serious injury, a severe toothache, or swelling that suggests infection.
At Agoura Hills Advanced Dentistry, we can handle dental emergencies such as knocked-out teeth, abscesses, or sudden injuries. We provide prompt care to relieve pain, stop any further harm, and help you until your complete treatment is done. If you get help immediately, you are more likely to save your tooth and prevent further damage.
Common Dental Emergencies
You may experience a dental emergency anytime, which can be painful and stressful. Here are descriptions of the most typical dental emergencies and advice on when to get immediate care.
Severe and Persistent Toothache
When a toothache is terrible and lasts for a long time, it can mean extensive decay, an abscess, or damage to the tooth. You should see a dentist immediately. Unlike short-lived pain, this discomfort can let bacteria move to nearby tissues or enter the blood, which can be harmful. Persistent and sharp pain, swelling near the affected area, or heightened sensitivity to hot and cold drinks, are signs of a dental emergency.
Uncontrolled Bleeding from the Mouth
A small amount of bleeding after dental extractions or deep cleanings is normal and usually stops within a few hours when you apply pressure. You should be concerned if it continues or starts on its own after eight to twelve hours.
If bleeding does not stop after fifteen to twenty minutes of pressure and there is swelling, fever, or pain, you should seek emergency care. People with clotting disorders or on blood-thinning drugs should pay close attention. In such cases, a quick evaluation is required to find the source of bleeding, use the proper methods to stop it, and avoid problems like hematomas or blocked airways.
Knocked-Out (Avulsed) Tooth
A tooth that has been knocked out is a dire dental emergency. Saving the tooth is much easier if you act within the first thirty minutes. Pick up a dislodged tooth by its crown to protect the delicate cells in the periodontal ligament. Should the tooth be dirty, rinse it softly in milk or a saline solution instead of water, and never clean the root. Put the tooth back into its socket and hold it there with a clean cloth or gauze if you can. Should reinsertion not be possible, use milk or a tooth-preservation solution to keep the tooth, rather than just water.
Even if thirty minutes have passed, get emergency dental care immediately. Though time is essential and delays might make reattachment less likely, the tooth can still be saved with treatment.
Tooth Intrusion (Intrusive Luxation)
An accident or direct impact can push a tooth upward into the jawbone, seriously harming the periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, and tooth pulp. An intruded tooth is shorter than the other teeth or may be hidden from view when examined. When you gently tap (percuss) an intruded tooth, it may produce a dull, non‐vibrating sound. This sound is an early sign that ankylosis (bone fusion) could be developing. Patients might experience bleeding near the gums, discomfort, and swelling in the area of injury.
Since this injury can be severe, it must be treated immediately. If intrusion is not treated, it can cause the tooth pulp to die, the roots to be absorbed, or ankylosis, which stops the tooth from erupting properly and can cause misalignment. A damaged tooth can also let bacteria in, which may cause an abscess or a more serious infection.
Chipped or Cracked Teeth
Chipped and cracked teeth can be simple cosmetic problems or cause serious dental emergencies. When a chip is not painful and does not touch sensitive areas, you may wait for your next routine dental visit. Exposed dentin or pulp from deep cracks or large fractures makes the tooth more likely to be infected by bacteria. If you have sharp or jagged edges, your tongue or inner cheeks can hurt, and even tiny fractures can cause bleeding or pain. A cracked tooth that has changed color may indicate damage inside.
If chewing causes more pain, you feel sensitivity to hot or cold foods, or your teeth are discolored, get emergency dental care. If the crack is sealed, the structure is restored, or a root canal is done when necessary, infection can be stopped, and extraction may not be needed.
Loose or Missing Dental Restorations
It would be clearer to specify that a loose restoration can leave the underlying tooth vulnerable. These restorations are temporary, so they can be removed more easily when a permanent one is placed.
Permanent dental restorations made from porcelain, metal alloys, or similar tough materials are built to last for years under chewing pressure. Even so, damage at the edges or a physical injury can make them come loose.
If your restoration comes loose, you can use dental cement from the drugstore, for example, Dentemp, to cover the area until you can see a dentist. If dental cement is inaccessible, you can protect the exposed area by putting on a thin coat of petroleum jelly. A drop of clove oil on a cotton swab may help reduce sensitivity or pain for a short period. These steps should only be used until you see your emergency dentist.
Post-Dental Surgery Complications
Most people recover from extractions, bone grafts, and implant placements quickly, dealing with minor swelling, slight bleeding, and some pain in the area. Symptoms usually improve within days. It is necessary to tell the difference between normal recovery after surgery and signs that need urgent attention.
For the first two days, some swelling, slight bleeding or oozing, and tenderness in the area are normal. If the bleeding continues for eight to twelve hours and firm pressure does not stop it, or if the pain gets worse with the use of pain relievers, you should get emergency dental care. Also, if your swelling worsens after the first two days or you notice a fever, chills, or a bad taste or smell in your mouth, which could mean a dry socket or infection, please call us immediately.
If your symptoms are not improving or are worsening, it may point to several complications. When a blood clot is dislodged or breaks too early at the extraction site, it exposes the bone and nerves, causing dry socket (alveolar osteitis). As a result, people experience severe pain, bad breath, and bad taste.
If the skin around the surgery area turns red, gets warm, and swells, and if there is fever or pus discharge, it could mean an infection that needs immediate drainage and antibiotics. Sometimes, patients using certain medications or those who have had radiation therapy may get osteonecrosis of the jaw (bone tissue death). Symptoms are constant pain, swelling, and visible bone inside the mouth.
Dental Abscess
A dental abscess is an infection in one area that causes a pocket of pus to develop in the tooth, gums, or bone. Not treating cavities, advanced gum disease, or injuries to the mouth can cause an abscess that can spread rapidly and become serious if not handled by an emergency dentist in Agoura Hills.
You may have an abscess if your toothache is severe, constant and throbbing, and spreads to your jaw, ear, or neck, with increased sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods. Chewing or biting can cause a sharp pain that shoots, and you may get a fever, chills, or swelling in the cheek or under the jaw.
Lymph nodes that are swollen and tender below the jaw or in the neck usually mean an infection is present. If the abscess bursts, you may see and taste a sudden flow of unpleasant-smelling and -tasting fluid in your mouth. If these symptoms are present, immediate evaluation is necessary, as the infection can quickly cause serious health problems.
If an abscess is not treated, bacteria may infect the nearby tissues, leading to cellulitis (soft tissue infection) or osteomyelitis (bone infection). Sometimes, an abscess in the upper teeth spreads to the sinuses and causes sinusitis. If the disease is severe, bacteria may enter the blood and cause sepsis, a dangerous infection affecting the whole body.
While you wait for treatment, you can control pain and fight bacteria by rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater solution (½ teaspoon of salt in ½ cup of water). Following the label, you can use ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help with pain and inflammation. Putting a cold compress on the cheek for 10–15 minutes can help reduce swelling and numb the area.
Emergency Dental Procedures
In dental emergencies, prompt action is necessary to reduce pain, stop infections, and protect your mouth.
Emergency Tooth Extraction
When a tooth is too severely damaged, decayed, or infected, it must be extracted, as restoration is impossible. If decay is severe, it can ruin most of the tooth, so fillings or crowns may not work. In advanced periodontal disease, a tooth might become so loose that it must be removed. Sometimes, wisdom teeth or other impacted teeth grow at an angle or only partially appear, which can cause pain, infections, or harm to the teeth nearby. Sometimes, extractions are carried out to make room for orthodontic treatment.
Local anesthesia is used, and the tooth is gently loosened and removed from its socket. After the treatment, you could notice some swelling, slight bleeding, and sore muscles in your jaw for a few days. But if the bleeding doesn’t stop after 10–15 minutes of gentle pressure or if the pain is severe and doesn’t respond to the medicines, you should contact us immediately. Anything like fever, pus, or increasing swelling should be treated as an emergency.
Root Canal Procedure
When the pulp inside a tooth becomes infected or inflamed, endodontic therapy (root canal treatment) is used to save the tooth. If treatment is not given, the infection can reach the bone nearby, form an abscess, and lead to problems throughout the body. The dentist removes the infected pulp, cleans the inside of the tooth, and finally fills and seals the root canal system. A crown or filling is the final step to restore the tooth’s strength and function.
If someone has a toothache when lying down and feels sensitive to both hot and cold foods, they may need a root canal. The tooth may look yellow or brown, and the gums near it might become inflamed or sensitive. Regularly seeing bumps or pimples on the gums may mean a draining abscess. When you see these signs, the pulp has been damaged, most often because of deep decay, multiple procedures on the same tooth, or cracks and chips that let bacteria enter.
Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss regularly, avoid eating too many sweet foods or drinks, and wear a mouthguard whenever you play sports to help prevent needing a root canal. Regular dental appointments every six months help find decay early, before it reaches the pulp.
Tooth Reattachment
If a permanent tooth is knocked out or fractured by an accident, you may be able to reattach it if you act fast and use the proper steps. How you look after and store a knocked-out tooth right away will determine if replanting is successful. Use the tooth’s crown (the side you chew with) to pick it up, and make sure not to touch the root.
If the tooth is soiled, rinse it softly in milk or saline, but never brush or use tap water. If you can, put the tooth back into its socket, ensuring it is facing the proper way, and keep it in place by gently biting on a clean gauze or soft cloth. If you cannot put the tooth back in place, put it in milk or a tooth-preservation solution, or place it between your cheek and gum until you can get to a dentist.
Reimplantation within thirty minutes is essential, but it can still help save your tooth if done within an hour. If you still have a broken tooth fragment, your dentist may be able to attach it to the remaining tooth with advanced adhesives. Reattaching a tooth is usually done for permanent (adult) teeth, as trying to replant a primary (baby) tooth can damage the tooth beneath and is usually not done.
Dental Fillings
Dental fillings are one of the most common treatments in dentistry. However, dental fillings are needed when patients suddenly feel tooth pain, suffer fractures, or have a filling fall out. If your toothache is excruciating due to decay, your tooth is chipped or fractured, your old filling is lost, or you grind your teeth a lot, you might require an emergency filling.
Today’s fillings can solve more than cavity problems. They can repair surfaces damaged by acid or wear, making them work and look better. A filling is placed after root canal therapy to seal the canal system and stop infection from returning. Small gaps, uneven teeth, and discoloration can be fixed with cosmetic fillings. The dentist considers the tooth’s position, the depth of damage, appearance, and budget to pick the best method and material for your emergency.
Because composite resin fillings bond with the tooth and need a tiny portion of healthy tooth removed, they are a good choice for the front teeth. Although not used as often, silver amalgam fillings are rugged and economical for back teeth that get a lot of chewing. Ceramic (porcelain) fillings are stain-resistant and look like natural teeth, though they usually need to remove more of the tooth and are generally chosen for bigger fillings.
Preventing Dental Emergencies
To prevent dental emergencies, you should visit the dentist often and take care of your daily habits. Follow these habits to decrease your risk of having a dental emergency.
Going to the dentist every six months allows them to spot early signs of tooth decay, gum disease, or infections. When you undergo a checkup, your dentist inspects your fillings, crowns, and bridges to determine if they should be repaired or replaced. Fixing minor problems quickly helps prevent them from becoming bigger.
Avoid doing things that could damage your teeth every day. Chewing hard items such as ice, candies, or unpopped popcorn kernels can lead to damage and breakage of your teeth. Try not to use your teeth for opening things, ripping things apart, or biting your nails, because it can harm your teeth.
You should wear a custom-made mouthguard if you play contact sports. It helps to keep teeth from cracking, chipping, or falling out. It helps protect the jaw and makes concussions less likely.
Find Emergency Dental Services Near Me
Symptoms of a dental emergency might be severe pain, sudden swelling, or uncontrolled bleeding. Seeking a dentist’s help right away can stop more problems, save your teeth, and protect your health. We are ready to help you with any urgent dental problem at Agoura Hills Advanced Dentistry. If you call us during office hours, we can schedule an emergency appointment for you and treat you for extractions, root canals, reattaching teeth, and fillings. Call us today at 818-878-7300.