Emergency Dentist — New Orleans, LA

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

• Call our office right away. The sooner you give us a call, the better chance we have of addressing your situation as quickly as possible. We’ll schedule you for the earliest available appointment. Over the phone, we’ll provide first-aid instructions to help you manage your situation in the meantime.
• See Dr. Camenzuli for an emergency exam. At our office, Dr. Camenzuli will perform a thorough examination and take X-rays to identify the underlying problem. Based on his findings, we’ll create a custom treatment plan to get your oral health back to normal.
• Get the care you need. During your visit, we may be able to temporarily relieve your pain with anesthesia or sedation. However, you’ll probably have to return for additional treatment to address the root cause of your emergency. Some common solutions include fillings, dental crowns, root canal therapy, gum disease treatment, and extraction.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

By nature, dental emergencies are often unexpected, so obviously you won’t be able to plan when or how they happen. However, you can somewhat plan how you will react in response. In most cases, your first step should be calling us immediately. We can schedule your visit, often on the same day as your initial call, and give you specific advice. Below are instructions for dealing with the most common dental emergencies.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies 

Not all dental emergencies are the same. Treatment that can resolve a problem for one patient may not be enough to fix it for another. As a result, the cost of treatment will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, one thing is universal when it comes to a dental emergency—it’s never a good idea to postpone seeking professional help. Oral problems only get worse, and therefore require more extensive and expensive treatment, the longer you wait. When you come in, our team will review your financial options and help make your dental care fit within your budget.

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Try as we might, not every broken or knocked-out tooth can be prevented. However, there are a few simple ways you can drastically reduce your risk of a dental emergency. Dr. Camenzuli’s number one goal is to help his patients prevent unnecessary damage and discomfort with great oral health habits. However, if you do find yourself in need of urgent dental care, don’t hesitate to contact us for fast, effective treatment.

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Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Don’t wait for a dental emergency to visit your New Orleans dentist. Even if your teeth look and feel fine, it’s important to get your dental checkups every six months. Oftentimes, you won’t be able to detect cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues yourself until they begin to cause pain or significant damage. Regularly visiting your dentist can help spot and stop these problems as early as possible, and hopefully even prevent them from developing in the first place!

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene Habits at Home

Brushing and flossing every day may seem like a mundane task, but they can go a long way in helping you avoid a trip to your emergency dentist in New Orleans. If the plaque, bacteria, and food debris in your mouth aren’t thoroughly cleaned away daily, they can burn through your enamel and attack your gums. Brushing for two minutes twice a day, flossing daily, and rinsing with mouthwash regularly will reduce your risk of a wide range of painful oral health issues that require emergency dental care.

Be Careful with Your Diet

When your oral bacteria feed off the sugars in the foods you eat, they produce cavity-causing acids. Thankfully, there are plenty of delicious snacks you can add to your diet that can help your mouth fight off infections and strengthen your teeth as well. Make sure you’re eating plenty of smile-friendly foods like:

• Raw, crunchy fruits and vegetables.
• Low-fat dairy products and lean proteins.
• Fruits that are high in vitamin C.

Protect Your Pearly Whites

Did you know your enamel is the hardest substance in your body? Unfortunately, it’s not indestructible. A condition called bruxism, or grinding your teeth in your sleep, can easily wear down, chip, or fracture your teeth over time. Nightguards are essential for protecting against this extra pressure and preventing the painful symptoms that can accompany it. This custom-made appliance keeps the upper and lower teeth from touching and relaxes the jaw muscles.

Use Tools, Not Teeth to Open Packaging

When you’re excited to open a package, bottle of soda, or your favorite bag of chips, it may be tempting to use your teeth. However, your teeth should only be used to rip and tear food—anything else puts too much pressure on your enamel. In the blink of an eye, you can suddenly be left with a chipped or cracked tooth! Save yourself from an unexpected dental visit by always using the proper tools for the job.

Dental Emergency FAQs 

When you call Dr. Camenzuli with an urgent dental problem, he and the rest of our team will do our utmost to see you as soon as possible and get you out of pain quickly. From dislodged teeth to a busted lip, we have the training necessary to treat all kinds of dental emergencies. However, before you make it to our office, we want you to be as prepared as possible, which is why we have answered some of our most frequently asked questions about emergency dentistry.

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What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?

Any time you experience serious trauma or pain in your mouth, it’s a good idea to treat it as an emergency. Even if you believe that it’s nothing serious or the pain fades away, it’s best to err on the side of caution and contact us to schedule an appointment anyway. Dental health problems rarely ever go away on their own, and can worsen the longer you put off treatment. Profuse bleeding, swelling that compromises your ability to breathe or swallow, or an injured jaw are all serious emergencies that should be treated at your local ER. For all other oral problems, call your dentist in New Orleans instead.

How Can I Manage the Pain?

Until your appointment with us, you may need something to help alleviate your discomfort, especially if for some reason we can’t see you on the same day as your call. You could use one or more of the following:

• Over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen
• Topical pain reliever like Orajel
• Cold compress to reduce pain as well as swelling

It’s worth mentioning, though, that just because you are able to manage the pain doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also schedule an appointment with us. We can get to the root of your problem and put a stop to your discomfort once and for all.

What If I Have a Dental Emergency While I’m Out of Town?

If a dental emergency occurs while you’re on vacation, try not to panic. Instead, find a dentist in the area who will treat your immediate problem. Once that is squared away and you are out of pain, give us a call to book an appointment when you return. That way we can evaluate your oral health and see whether any further treatment is required.

My Toothache Went Away. Do I Still Need to See a Dentist?

Absolutely. While many people believe that the occasional tooth pain is perfectly normal, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, if your toothache suddenly goes away, it could mean that the nerve inside the tooth has “died,” meaning it doesn’t feel pain anymore. At this point, you might need a root canal or even a tooth extraction to prevent the damage from spreading to other teeth. As a rule of thumb, teeth never hurt for no reason. If you experience even a slight toothache, call us right away so we can address the root of the problem.