Emergency Dentistry – Larchmont Village, CA

Act Quickly to Protect Your Smile

The very nature of an emergency is that it happens suddenly and often at the most unexpected and inconvenient of times; dental emergencies are no exception to this. During this trying time, what you need most is a trusted dental team who can provide the much-needed relief and skilled, personalized care you deserve. If you or a loved one is experiencing a dental emergency, please don’t hesitate to call Geller Dentistry in Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Benjamin Geller, Dr. Gloria Garcia-Geller, and the rest of our staff members are dedicated to putting patients first. So, whether you’re dealing with a persistent toothache or a tooth that’s completely fallen out, we’re here to help. We can provide valuable guidance on the phone for how best to handle your incident, and in most cases, we’re able to see emergency patients the very same day as their first call.

Why Choose Geller Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Comprehensive Range of Dental Services
  • Board-Certified Prosthodontist
  • Honest Approach to Dental Care

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

  • Call Our Office: When you call our office with a dental emergency, we will help assess your situation over the phone. If we decide that you need urgent dental care, we’ll make arrangements to see you as soon as possible. We’ll also give you personalized first-aid tips as needed.
  • Emergency Exam: We’ll take X-rays and examine your mouth carefully to figure out what the problem is and how severe the damage is.
  • Create a Treatment Plan: After reviewing our findings with you, we’ll walk you through your treatment options and give you our recommendations. We’ll always take the time to explain the estimated length and cost of your treatment before any final decisions are made.
  • Help You Find Relief: The last step is to carry out the agreed-upon treatment plan. When it comes to emergency care, our primary goal will always be to get you out of pain and preserve your oral health.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Many different oral health issues could potentially be considered dental emergencies. If you’ve noticed worrisome symptoms but aren’t sure if they point to any urgent dental problems, call our office immediately; we’ll help you decide whether or not an emergency appointment is needed. Below are some particularly common types and signs of dental emergencies.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

You’ll naturally want to know how much you can expect to pay for your emergency care before you have to commit to any treatments. The nature of your emergency and the type of treatment needed will have to be taken into account before we can create an estimate. Remember that if you don’t have a dental issue properly addressed as soon as possible, it could lead to a severe problem that requires an even more costly procedure; it pays to be proactive with your smile’s care.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Want to avoid the need for urgent dental care? There are several steps you can take to dramatically decrease the chances of a dental emergency occurring, such as:

  • Visiting your dentist twice a year for checkups and cleanings.
  • Brushing twice every day.
  • Flossing daily.
  • Dropping bad habits that can damage teeth such as chewing your nails.
  • Cutting down on sugary, hard, sticky, and acidic foods that can cause dental damage.
  • Wearing a mouthguard while playing sports.

Dental Emergency FAQs

Try as we might, there are a wide variety of factors that can damage our smiles. That’s why it’s a good idea to have as many answers ahead of time as possible. Below, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions your Larchmont Village emergency dentist gets about urgent dental care. If you don’t see the answer you’re looking for below, don’t hesitate to call us and we’ll be happy to help.

When Should I See an Emergency Dentist for My Toothache?

Any dental discomfort or tooth pain should be looked at by your dentist in a timely manner. However, a toothache can sometimes be a warning sign of a much larger issue that needs immediate care. You should call your emergency dentist right away if your toothache is accompanied by:

  • Severe pain that lasts for more than one or two days.
  • Gum tissue that is inflamed, sore, or bleeds easily.
  • Darkening or discoloration of the painful tooth.
  • Swelling in the mouth, face, jaw, or neck.
  • A small, pimple-like bump on the gums near the painful tooth.

Should I Still Call My Emergency Dentist if My Tooth Stops Hurting?

If you have a painful tooth that suddenly stops hurting, that doesn’t mean your problem has gone away. Unlike the rest of your body, your teeth can’t heal themselves. If your tooth abruptly becomes numb after hurting, the nerve inside of it may be damaged or infected. You need to see your emergency dentist right away to identify the issue and prevent it from spreading to the rest of your teeth.

Should I Call an Emergency Dentist if my Child Unexpectedly Knocks Out a Baby Tooth?

Even though your child’s baby teeth will eventually fall out on their own, you should call your dentist if one is suddenly knocked out. If the tooth isn’t broken or it was close to coming out on its own, we may not have to do anything. However, if it was knocked out prematurely, we may place a space saver to prevent the surrounding teeth from shifting into the gap and trapping the permanent tooth underneath.

I’m Not Sure if I Have a Dental Emergency – What Should I Do?

Not all dental emergencies are as easy to identify as a broken or knocked-out tooth. Any time you find yourself with new, worrisome, or uncomfortable dental symptoms, give us a call right away. We can help assess your situation over the phone and help you determine the urgency of your circumstances. After scheduling your appointment accordingly, we’ll give you personalized first-aid advice to help relieve your pain and manage your symptoms until you can reach our office.

When Should I Go to the ER Instead of My Emergency Dentist?

For nearly every dental emergency, you’ll save time, money, and discomfort by calling your emergency dentist before going to your local ER. However, some problems that are severe or life-threatening should be stabilized at the emergency room first, and we’ll be happy to help you restore your smile after. Issues that should be addressed by the ER include:

  • Dislocated or broken jaw.
  • Bleeding that won’t stop after 15 minutes.
  • Swelling in your mouth, face, jaw, or neck that’s making it difficult to swallow or breathe.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a dental emergency, don’t hesitate to contact us right away. We’ll always do our best to provide same-day care for fast pain relief when you need it most!

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Not necessarily. The best way to tell if you need to schedule a same-day visit to our Larchmont Village dental office is by assessing your symptoms. If they have persisted for more than 24 hours, they are getting worse, or they are making it difficult for you to eat, sleep, and concentrate, then you should call us ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Toothache Until your appointment, it’s important to do what you can to protect your tooth from further harm. That means not chewing on that side of your mouth, rinsing with warm saltwater periodically, and avoiding sticky, sugary, and acidic foods. If needed, you can also take OTC pain medication (just make sure to follow the directions on the label).

How We Treat Toothaches Toothaches are often the result of decay, which can usually be treated with a tooth-colored filling. However, it’s also possible for the root of the problem to be something different, like a crack or an infection. That’s why we need to conduct an emergency exam before sharing our recommendation.

Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Honestly, a chipped tooth can go either way. We recommend giving us a call so we can learn more about the situation and your symptoms. From there, we can determine if you need to come in the same day for an appointment.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth In addition to rinsing your mouth gently with clean, lukewarm water and covering the tooth with sugar-free gum, we recommend sticking to soft foods and taking OTC pain medication, if needed.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth If the chip is minor, then the solution may be as simple as putting cosmetic bonding on the tooth. Sometimes, the chip is too large for that, which requires us to have a veneer made instead.

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Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Both small and large cracks in your teeth are considered dental emergencies. So, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll schedule a time for you to come in for an exam, and we will provide specific instructions on what to do until you arrive.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth Basically, you want to avoid doing anything that will damage your tooth further or exacerbate your discomfort. That includes avoiding crunchy foods and hot/cold beverages as well as taking OTC pain medication as directed. You should also rinse your mouth periodically with clean, room-temperature water to help prevent an infection.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth The good news is that cracked teeth don’t always need to be extracted. If the damage is minor enough that we can save your tooth with a dental crown, then that’s the approach we will take. If it needs to be removed, however, then we will do so before filling the open space with a dental bridge or implant.

Very Sensitive Teeth

Knocked-Out Tooth

Lost Filling or Crown

Broken Denture

Loose Permanent Tooth

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Jaw Pain

Something Stuck Between the Teeth