Emergency Dentistry
It's the worst feeling to wake up with a throbbing toothache and not know where to turn. This is when you need a trusted emergency dentist like Dr. Ian Fontenot, who will see you promptly to relieve your pain and get you on the road to recovery.
What Is Considered a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is any situation that requires immediate attention to relieve pain or prevent further damage to your oral health. Some urgent emergencies, such as a severe toothache or knocked-out tooth, need to be addressed immediately. Others that may not be so critical include a chipped tooth or lost crown or filling that doesn't involve pain.
In either case, we encourage you to call Fontenot Family Dentistry right away because the sooner we see you, the sooner we can help you!
Dental Emergencies We Treat
Common dental emergencies we treat at our Scott and Carencro dental offices include:
- Toothache
- Broken tooth
- Cracked tooth
- Dental abscess or infection
- Knocked-out tooth
- Lost dental crown
- Lost tooth filling
- Injury to lips or tongue
- Food stuck between teeth
The Importance of Prompt Emergency Dental Treatment
Feeling worried or anxious is normal and understandable during an oral health emergency. If you dislike dental visits, you may even be tempted to postpone calling the dentist, hoping the situation will resolve itself—unfortunately, it won't.
When you wait to see your emergency dentist, your pain and the damage to your teeth will only worsen. An untreated emergency can also lead to more serious problems that threaten your oral health and become complex and costly to treat.
How to Handle Your Dental Emergency
Please call our Scott or Carencro, LA, dental office at the first sign of an emergency. A caring team member will ask about your symptoms to determine how quickly we need to see you.
They will also provide tips for dealing with your emergency until you get to our dental office.
Tooth Pain
Take over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen to reduce pain and inflammation. Rinse with warm salt water and apply a cold compress to the area to reduce swelling.
Knocked-Out Tooth
We must see you immediately for the best chance of saving the tooth, preferably within 30 minutes; however, if it's been longer than 30 minutes, we still want to see you as soon as you can reach our office.
Hold the tooth by the crown (chewing surface) and rinse gently with warm water. Don’t touch the root or disturb the attached tissue. Ideally, place the tooth back in its socket; if you can’t, place it between your cheek and gums to keep the root moist. Alternatively, place the tooth in a container of milk or your saliva.
Broken or Cracked Tooth
Rinse your mouth with warm water to cleanse the area, and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling. Locate any tooth fragments and bring them to your appointment.
Lost Crown or Filling
If possible, place the crown back on the tooth to protect it; otherwise, place a piece of sugarless gum over the area to protect the exposed tooth and reduce discomfort. Find any filling pieces and bring them to your emergency appointment.
Tooth Infection or Abscess
Symptoms of an infected tooth include severe pain when biting down, redness and swelling around the tooth, and a whitish bump on the gums. Please contact us right away. One of our dentists will examine the tooth, take x-rays, and determine the next steps to relieve your pain and save the tooth.
Please don’t delay treatment, as the infection can spread and lead to serious health problems if left untreated.
Call Us with Your Dental Emergency
If you need an emergency dentist in Scott or Carencro, LA, please call Fontenot Family Dentistry. We can help you and will do our best to see you immediately if you are in pain.
