Emergency Dentist in Prairieville, LA

Do you have a dental emergency in Prairieville?

Nothing disrupts your life more than a dental emergency situation! They can be scary, painful, and inconvenient. Having the right dental team on your side makes all the difference when you’re experiencing pain or a dental emergency.

You do not have to be an existing patient at Palm Family Dentistry to be treated for an emergency; new patient emergencies are always welcome. So, don’t hesitate to call us if you have a dental emergency.

A member of our dental team can schedule your emergency exam and answer any questions that you may have.

Meanwhile, continue reading to learn more about dental emergencies and how we help ease your pain and restore your oral health.

• How do I handle a dental emergency?
• Is a root infection a dental emergency?
• Will I need an extraction?

How do I handle a dental emergency?

Understanding how to handle an emergency dental situation until you can reach our Prairieville dental office can help reduce your stress and potentially save damaged teeth.

A chipped or broken tooth

If your tooth is broken, we will need to treat it as soon as possible to restore function and esthetics to your smile and eliminate any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing. Left untreated, a chipped or broken tooth can become severely infected.

Gather the pieces of your tooth and call Palm Family Dentistry right away to schedule your emergency exam and treatment.

If your tooth is chipped, it may not require immediate attention, but it's still a good idea to call us anyway. Even the smallest chip can diminish your smile and cause discomfort to your tongue or soft tissues. If your situation is not an emergency, we will still work hard to get you into our dental office sooner rather than later.

A knocked-out tooth

If your tooth has been knocked out, it’s important to act quickly as Dr. Palm has the best chance of preserving it, the faster we can treat it. Give us a call right away to be seen, and for specific instructions on how to handle your tooth while transporting it to our dental office.

Typically, you’ll want to keep the tooth moist in water, milk, or saliva. Your emergency dentist in Prairieville will work hard to restore your tooth to the gum.

A broken or lost restoration

Dental restorations do have a lifespan, and unfortunately, old restorations sometimes chip, fracture, or fall out. This may or may not cause pain, but even if it doesn’t, you’ll need to have your tooth repaired to avoid further damage or infection.

Keep the area clean until your dental appointment.

Give us a call so we can assess your situation, determine when you should be seen, and get your tooth restored.

Jaw or face swelling

Jaw or face swelling typically indicates an infection. However, your dentist in Prairieville will make a more definitive diagnosis in our dental office.

Swelling is a dental emergency and generally means treatment as soon as possible.

An icepack may help relieve swelling until your emergency dental appointment.

Dental pain or sensitivity

Pain in your tooth is often an indicator of an infection, especially if it’s constant and fairly severe. If your tooth is infected, please understand that it won’t go away without treatment, so don’t wait to call us, thinking it might get better on its own. A dental infection left untreated will likely spread and cause further damage. It could eventually lead to tooth loss or even a systemic infection.

You may be able to treat tooth pain with an over-the-counter pain reliever until your dental appointment. We recommend checking with your doctor or dentist first.

Root canal therapy can often preserve an infected tooth if you are proactive about seeking treatment, so please give Palm Family Dentistry a call right away if you are experiencing dental pain.

How our Dentists Handle Root Infections

A root infection is one of the most common dental emergencies we see in our dental office. Of course, root infection may not be painful if the root is dead, but when it is not, the pain from root infection can be severe. Often tooth sensitivity becomes severe pain with little warning.

Symptoms of a root infection may include:

• Toothache
• Ongoing tooth sensitivity
• Jaw pain and swelling
• A blister on the gum

If you notice any of these symptoms, we recommend contacting a member of our dental team as soon as possible. We can assess your symptoms over the phone and make the best determination for your wellness and your well-being—we do not want you to be in pain.

Root canal treatments require your emergency dentist in Prairieville to numb the area, make a small hole in the tooth, and remove the painful root and pulp infection. Your dentist then fills the area with a soothing or healing agent and closes the hole with a temporary filling. After a few weeks, you come back, and we seal the tooth with a dental filling or a tooth crown.

A tooth crown covers your tooth and helps prevent breakage following root infection. Your quality dental crown is always designed to match your smile.

Tooth Extractions in Prairieville

Removing a tooth is never our first treatment choice that our Prairieville dentists will recommend. In fact, all our dental services are designed to preserve all your teeth for as long as possible.

If Dr. Palm does recommend tooth extraction, you can be confident that he has exhausted all other possibilities to save the tooth. He will explain exactly why the procedure is necessary and how it will benefit your long-term oral health. We will do everything to ensure that your tooth extraction is as comfortable as possible for you.

Some of the cases where Dr. Palm recommends removing a tooth are:

• Significant decay has compromised so much tooth structure that we can’t save it with a dental filling or crown.
• A tooth is infected so severely that root canal treatment is not an option.
• You have advanced gum disease, and we need to remove loose teeth to protect the remaining teeth.
• You’re getting dentures, and removing some teeth will produce the best results.

The good news is that you can avoid most of these situations when you visit Palm Family Dentistry every six months for dental cleanings and exams. We can find issues like decay and gum disease when they’re just starting and treat them before they cause long-term damage.

If you have a damaged, broken, or decayed tooth and think it may need to be removed, call Palm Family Dentistry. If you’re in pain, we also perform emergency tooth extractions in Prairieville, LA, and may be able to see you the same day for treatment.

It’s also important to remember that we offer tooth replacement solutions following an extraction, including:

• Dental implants
• Dental bridges
• Dentures and partials

Call Our Prairieville, LA Dental Office

Even if you are unsure whether your situation is truly an emergency, we encourage you to call us anyway. We can assess your situation and even give some instructions over the phone in some cases. Dr. Palm will get you feeling comfortable and back on the path to wellness again in no time!