Emergency Dentist — Louisville, KY
Don’t Lose Any Time in Relieving Dental Pain
Dr. Cordini is experienced in treating all kinds of periodontal issues – including those that require urgent care sooner rather than later. Get in touch with our periodontal office right away if there’s an issue with your teeth and gums that needs immediate attention; we’ll make time to see you as soon as possible, and in the meantime, we’ll give you advice regarding what you can do in order to prevent any further pain or dental damage until you reach our periodontal office for emergency dentistry in Louisville, KY.
Why Choose Cordini Periodontics & Implants for Emergency Dental Care?
- A Caring Dentist with an Excellent Chairside Manner
- Sedation Options for Nervous Patients
- A Team That Always Gives You the Time You Need
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
- Schedule an appointment with our team: When you contact our practice, you can not only get an appointment scheduled as soon as possible, but speak with a dedicated team member who can provide first-aid tips to manage your symptoms before you arrive.
- Get an emergency exam completed with Dr. Cordini: After you reach our office, we’ll perform an examination to determine the specific cause of your dental emergency and then go from there. This may involve capture of digital X-rays. If you’re in any immediate pain, we’ll work quickly to get you relief first.
- Reviewing our findings for treatment planning: Cordini will break down his findings with you one-on-one so you can understand the status of your oral health. He’ll also recommend a treatment plan that includes cost estimates and a timeline, assuming it cannot be resolved the same day. We want you to be as informed as possible before making a final decision on your care.
- Get the professional dental care you need: We provide many services to help you address your concerns, including gum disease therapy, bone grafting, soft tissue grafting, pocket reduction surgery, wisdom tooth extractions, or another service if needed.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
A dental emergency could describe anything from an infection to an injury. We’ll need you to tell us the details of your situation – including the symptoms you’re experiencing and what led to your current situation. We will give you advice over the phone to help you get control of the situation before you head over to our periodontal office for treatment. Below are a few useful tips for dental emergencies that tend to occur particularly often.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies
The cost of your emergency dental care will be explained to you after we’ve examined your teeth and determined what your smile needs. Our goal is to stop your pain and prevent any further damage, and we’ll aim to provide the most conservative treatments available to meet that goal. We’ll also go over your payment options with you so that you can fit the cost of emergency dentistry in Louisville, KY into your budget that much more easily.
Every Dental Emergency is Different
Your first emergency visit actually won’t cost much. This initial appointment is spent stopping your immediate pain and examining your mouth to figure out the source of the problem and how bad the damage is. We can then create a personalized treatment plan to restore the overall health of your smile. Different emergencies call for different treatments, so we have no way of knowing how much your treatment will cost until we’ve completed the initial exam. The pricing information will be laid out for you before we begin any sort of treatment, however.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Most dental insurance plans cover treatments commonly associated with emergency care, including root canal therapy and dental crowns. Oftentimes, they’ll pay for one emergency exam per year so that you don’t have to pay for emergency treatment out of pocket. The coverage for restorative care is usually between 50% and 80%, but every plan is different, and your yearly maximum and deductible also need to be taken into account. Talk to your insurance company if there’s anything you want to know about the coverage your plan provides in the event of an emergency.
Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable
If you don’t have dental insurance to reduce your out-of-pocket costs, you can still make the process of paying for care easier on your bank account through financing. You can apply for CareCredit or Proceed Finance plans that have been tailored to fit a variety of budgets. These plans let you pay for your treatment in installments with little to no interest building up over time. There are no hidden fees or unpleasant surprises to worry about, but you can always call us if you have any questions.
Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money
You can save big on dental emergencies simply by not having any. Of course, you can’t guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen to your smile, so your best option is to take steps to protect your teeth and gums on a regular basis. Attending routine dental checkups, brushing your teeth at home, and wearing a mouthguard can ultimately save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on care. If an emergency does happen, call us immediately; it’s less expensive to have dental issues treated while they’re still relatively small.
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
Unfortunately, the odds of suffering a dental emergency will never be zero. However, your teeth and gums will be much safer in general if you take a few proactive measures, including:
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Patients often chalk up their biannual checkups to simply a quick screening for cavities. While we do examine your teeth for early signs of tooth decay, it’s important to know that catching dental problems like these in the early stages can save you from a dental emergency. Furthermore, the special tools we use during the cleaning portion of your visit can effectively remove caked-on plaque and tartar, which helps prevent cavities, gum disease, and other issues from developing in the future.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home
A solid oral hygiene routine is essential for keeping your teeth and gums healthy. That’s why we encourage our patients to consistently brush twice a day, floss daily, and get a dental checkup and cleaning every six months. You should also take additional measures to prevent dental damage at home, like not chewing on pen caps, pencils, ice, or any other similar items.
Stick to a Nutritious Diet
To keep your teeth healthy from the inside out, you need to eat a well-balanced and varied diet that’s filled with nutrients. Yogurt, oatmeal, fruit, and vegetables are all foods that are smile-friendly and filled with vitamins that will support good oral health. Conversely, foods and drinks that are loaded with added sugar will negatively impact your smile, increasing your chances of developing tooth decay.
Wear a Mouthguard
Sports accidents are one of the biggest culprits of dental injuries, like knocked-out or loose teeth. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance that you wear a mouthguard during games and practices, even if you play a non-contact sport. We can provide you with a custom one that is the appropriate thickness for the sport you participate in.
Note: if you chronically grind or clench your teeth, we may recommend a mouthguard as well! That way, your teeth are protected from premature wear and tear over the years.
Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth
Your teeth are strong and sharp, but they aren’t tools. So, don’t use them to open items like bottle caps, chip bags, packages, or anything else. The pressure can cause one of your teeth to break under the pressure, requiring an emergency trip to our Louisville dental office. It goes without saying, then, that you should always use the appropriate tools instead.
Dental Emergency FAQ’s
Immediate action is required when a dental emergency strikes, so it’s a good idea to have any questions you might have about emergency care answered now so that you can act quickly later. You can call our office today or speak to Dr. Cordini during your next appointment about any concerns or uncertainties you have regarding emergency care. Before that, you can review our FAQ section below to check whether we’ve already provided the answers you’re looking for on this page.
Will My Toothache Go Away On Its Own?
Toothaches do not normally go away without proper treatment. There are exceptions, but even if the pain does fade on its own, it’s not necessarily a good sign; for example, if the tooth is infected, the loss of pain could mean that the nerves inside the tooth have been completely destroyed. As such, you should schedule a checkup with us as soon as you realize you have chronic tooth pain. There could be multiple causes for your toothache, and narrowing down the underlying issue is important if you want to keep all of your natural teeth intact.
Should I Visit the Emergency Room for Dental Emergencies?
In the case of most dental emergencies, it’s better to call a dentist rather than the ER. The doctors at the ER most likely don’t have the training or materials they need to treat common dental problems like broken teeth. There are, however, three major examples of dental emergencies that are best handled at the ER:
- Jaw fractures and dislocations
- Severe oral cuts or lacerations that keep bleeding
- Abscess or infection that’s getting in the way of swallowing or bleeding
The ER should be contacted for these and other life-threatening problems; otherwise, our office should be your first call for an issue with your teeth or gums.
Can I Place Knocked-Out Teeth in Water?
You need to keep a knocked-out tooth moist so that it can be saved. It’s okay to use water to gently rinse off any debris that’s gotten on the tooth (as long as you don’t scrub it or remove the living tissue still on the roots), but you should not submerge it in water, as this can damage the roots and make it less likely that they can be put back in the socket. It’s always better to preserve a tooth by either keeping it in the open socket or placing it in a sealed container filled with milk or a saline solution.
Is Chronic Bad Breath an Emergency?
Many people have bad breath in the morning or after eating certain foods, but chronic bad breath is a different issue entirely – one that can’t always be solved just by brushing or taking a mint. Oftentimes, a foul odor is a side effect of cavities, gum disease, and dental infections. We recommend calling our office if you experience bad breath that lasts more than a few days; we’ll check to make sure that there isn’t a more serious oral health issue that you’re missing.
How should I sleep with tooth pain?
If you aren’t able to get to our office right away for treatment, there are a few ways you can get a good night’s sleep in the meantime. First, be intentional about what you eat for dinner. Instead of eating crunchy, acidic, and sugary foods, opt for something soft and healthy, like vegetable soup or oatmeal. Second, take an OTC pain reliever about 30 minutes before bed and prop up a few pillows so your head stays elevated throughout the night.
Remember: these recommendations are only for short-term relief. To treat the source of your toothache, you need to come in for a visit with our Louisville emergency dentist.
What does throbbing tooth pain mean?
Throbbing tooth pain could be the result of several serious dental injuries, from a severely decayed tooth to a large fracture. So, don’t wait another day to schedule an appointment with us! Once we take X-rays and conduct an oral exam, we’ll be able to pinpoint the root of the problem and, in turn, what treatment (or treatments) is necessary.
My chipped tooth doesn’t hurt. Do I still need to visit?
Yes, you do! After all, even if you aren’t in pain, the tooth could still break further or develop an infection. That’s why we strongly recommend scheduling an appointment before the end of the week at the very minimum.
Can super glue be used to repair broken dentures?
Although super glue is an effective adhesive, it shouldn’t be used for dentures (or any other dental work, for that matter) since it contains toxins that aren’t safe to ingest. Instead, you should call us ASAP so we can get the process of repairing or replacing your restoration started.
What is causing my jaw pain?
Jaw pain could be the result of several issues, from chronic teeth grinding to impacted wisdom teeth. So, if you’ve been dealing with persistent jaw pain, it’s worth getting an appointment on the calendar. In the meantime, try to alleviate your discomfort by using a cold compress, sticking to soft foods, and taking OTC pain medication as instructed.
Are toothpicks safe to use?
No, toothpicks are not safe to use. One of the main reasons for this is that swallowing one can be fatal. So, if you have something stuck between your teeth, like a piece of food, don’t reach for a toothpick or any other sharp objects. Instead, rinse your mouth with warm saltwater and use some floss to gently clean between your teeth.
Can I pop a dental abscess on my own?
The short answer is “no.” This will only make the situation worse by exposing your mouth to more bacteria (as well as the neck, throat, and head). If you have a pimple-like bump or blister on your gums, then you should contact our Louisville dental team ASAP.
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