Emergency Dentist — Covington, GA

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

• Contact us right away. Time is of the essence in any emergency situation, which is why you need to give us a call immediately for assistance. Over the phone, an experienced team member will provide first-aid instructions to help you manage your situation at home.
• Have an emergency exam. When you get to our office, Dr. Dean will conduct a detailed oral examination to identify the cause of your problem. Based on his findings, he’ll create a custom treatment plan to get your oral health back on the right track.
• Get the care you need. During your appointment, we may be able to temporarily relieve your pain. However, you might have to return for additional services like fillings, dental crowns, gum disease treatment, or extraction.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Regardless of the type of dental emergency you’re having, you should give our dental office a call first and foremost. This will give you a chance to schedule an emergency appointment. While we have you on the phone, we’ll explain what you can do right now to make your situation better. Below, you can also find suggestions on what you should do next based on the current dental emergency you may be experiencing.

Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry

Perhaps you really do want urgent dental care. After all, it can prevent serious harm to your teeth and gums! Still, the cost of emergency dentistry in Covington may seem too high. A dental treatment that “breaks the bank” just isn’t feasible, even if needed. However, a dental emergency’s expense varies by patient. You’ll have to consult Dr. Dean for an exact estimate. That said, Dean Dental Care will work to ensure your urgent care is affordable. To learn more, keep reading or book a visit with us.

Every Dental Emergency is Different

To be honest, an emergency dental visit isn’t pricey in itself. It simply consists of a quick (but thorough) oral exam and confirmation of your needed treatment. The bulk of your emergency’s cost will, in fact, come from subsequent procedures and services. We thus need to see you for an in-person diagnosis before settling the price.

Depending on the root of your problem, solutions may include:

• Root Canal Therapy
• Periodontal Therapy
• Tooth Extraction(s)
• Dental Crown(s)
• TMD Therapy

Rest assured; we’ll explain our findings before we perform any work. That way, you’ll know the recommended treatment plan and its estimated costs beforehand.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Luckily enough, most dental plans do offer some coverage for dental emergencies. Many will cover at least one yearly emergency exam. At the same time, services like root canal therapy and tooth extraction can have 50-80% of their cost covered.

You shouldn’t forget, however, that every policy is different. Plus, yearly maximums play a role in coverage, too. Given these facts, confirming your benefits with the insurance provider before committing to treatment is wise. If you need assistance, our team can help with that process.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Of course, dental insurance isn’t the only way to make emergency care affordable. Other methods exist as well, often based on the practice you visit.

Take us at Dean Dental Care, for example. We can make payment easier with options like:

• Special Offers – If your dental emergency requires tooth replacement, we can offer you a single dental implant for as little as $199 a month.
• Flexible Financing – By working with CareCredit and Lending Club, we allow patients to pay for emergency visits with low-interest monthly plans. That way, you can cover the cost gradually instead of all at once.

Taking Care of Your Smile Saves You Money

True, some dental emergencies are unavoidable and incur necessary costs. Even so, most stem from poor tooth care resulting in dental issues. As such, investing in dental checkups and solid oral hygiene at home will save you thousands in the long run.

Should you have an emergency anyway, though, you can still cut costs by addressing it quickly. The longer you delay, the more involved and expensive a procedure you’ll need. Fixing a hurting tooth now, for instance, might mean a root canal that saves it instead of a pricey extraction and costly implants.

In the end, Dean Dental Care is ready to assist you with budget-friendly emergency care. So, don’t hesitate – call our office and book a visit today!

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies are often anxiety-inducing, inconvenient, and painful, so it’s completely natural to want to avoid them at all costs! The good news is that you can drastically lower your chances of experiencing one with the right best practices in place. Here are a few that our Covington dental team recommends!

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Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Think your biannual visits don’t have anything to do with preventing dental emergencies? Think again! There are two main components of these appointments: the checkup and the cleaning. The first focuses on catching dental problems, like tooth decay and gum disease, in the early stages and implementing the appropriate treatment before they develop to the point where you require a same-day appointment. The second is centered around thoroughly cleaning your teeth and gums, removing stubborn plaque and tartar in the process. This helps prevent issues from arising altogether!

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home

Habits like brushing twice a day and flossing regularly may seem small, but they go a long way in keeping your teeth strong and your gums healthy. On the other hand, neglecting to implement a solid oral hygiene regimen leaves you vulnerable to problems like cavities, which can seriously damage your teeth if left alone to progress. If you ever have questions about how to care for your smile at home, don’t hesitate to ask – we’re here to help!

Stick to a Nutritious Diet

While delicious, sugary foods and drinks are one of the leading causes of tooth decay. Of course, you don’t have to eliminate them entirely from your diet, but you should keep these treats to a minimum. Instead, focus on adding lots of nutrient-dense foods to your plate that will keep your smile healthy from the inside-out. Note: don’t chew on ice cubes! Although refreshing, this can cause the teeth bearing the pressure to crack, requiring an urgent visit to our office.

Wear a Mouthguard

Custom-made mouthguards are ideal for patients who participate in sports or have bruxism. For athletes, mouthguards can protect your mouth from incidents like an accidental elbow to your jaw. For patients with bruxism, mouthguards can protect your teeth from premature wear and tear. Remember, the options available at your local sporting goods store may be cheap, but they also can be a choking hazard. Therefore, it’s best to get a custom-made one from your dentist.

Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth

Using your teeth to open something may seem convenient. However, there is nothing more inconvenient than having to completely alter your day so you can rush to our office to restore a fractured tooth! Simply put, it’s never worth compromising your oral health, so always take the time to locate and use the scissors or bottle cap opener instead.

Dental Emergency FAQs 

When a dental emergency appears, call us! We’ll give you personalized first-aid advice over the phone while we schedule your emergency appointment. For your convenience, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions we receive about urgent dental care to help you be as prepared as possible for these scary situations.

Should I Go to The Emergency Room for Dental Pain?

In almost any dental emergency, you’ll save time, money, hassle, and discomfort by visiting your Covington emergency dentist before heading to the local ER. Whereas an emergency room may only be able to help you manage your pain, we have the tools and training to treat the source of your problem.

However, there are a few situations that should be stabilized at your local ER. If your jaw is broken or dislocated, if you are experiencing bleeding that hasn’t stopped in 10 minutes, or if you have swelling that is making it difficult to breathe or swallow, you should go directly to the emergency room. Once your situation has been handled there, we’ll be more than happy to fix up your pearly whites.

Are Emergency Dental Visits Covered by Dental Insurance?

Every dental insurance policy is different. To see if yours offers full or partial coverage of emergency visits, feel free to give us a call. Our talented team has years of experience identifying and explaining key details of dental insurance policies. We’ll be happy to file your claims for you and maximize your benefits.

What If I’m Not Sure If I Have a Dental Emergency Or Not?

Not every dental emergency is easy to identify. To determine if you need urgent dental care or not, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I in severe pain or bleeding from the mouth? Serious pain and bleeding are tell-tale signs that you should call your Covington emergency dentist right away.
• Are my teeth loose? Permanent teeth should never be loose. Even if your loose tooth isn’t painful, it may be in danger of being lost.
• Has my tooth been seriously damaged? Fractured or broken teeth need to be treated right away to alleviate pain and prevent further damage.
• Has my tooth been knocked out? You need to see an emergency dentist within 30-60 minutes for the best chances of successful reattachment.
• Do I have an infection? Dental infections or abscesses can become life-threatening in some cases. See your dentist immediately if you have a small bump on your gums, pus or discharge between your teeth, swelling in the neck or jaw, or other signs of infection such as fever or fatigue.

Remember, you should always call us about new, worrying, or uncomfortable dental symptoms. We can help you determine the urgency of your situation and give you personalized first-aid advice over the phone.

What Should I Do If My Toothache Goes Away on Its Own?

Unlike the rest of your body, your teeth can’t heal themselves. That’s why any and all dental pain should be seen by your Covington dentist in a timely manner, whether it’s gone away or not. You may simply have had something lodged between your teeth or need a filling for a cavity. However, a suddenly numb tooth could also mean that the nerve has been damaged or is infected, in which case it needs to be addressed right away to save it. Call us if your toothache goes away and we’ll help you determine when you need to come in for an appointment.