PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY DENTIST KATY
Smile Emergency? We’ve Got You Covered!
Dental emergencies seem to always happen outside of regular business hours. At Wellspring Pediatric Dentistry, we recognize that dental emergencies can occur unexpectedly and we prioritize your child’s wellbeing. If your child ever requires urgent care, we offer convenient appointment times and we’ll try to schedule them for a same-day visit, if possible, so they can get relief right away with our pediatric emergency dentist in Katy! For our current patients, we offer an on-call service to connect with a member of our team during non-business hours. Have questions? Give us a give us a call.
Why Choose Wellspring Pediatric Dentistry for Children’s Emergency Dentistry?
- Same-Day Emergency Dental Appointments
- On-Call Team Member for Current Patients
- Pediatric Dentist Fluent in Spanish
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
- Initial Call: Give us a call if you think your child has a dental emergency, and we’ll let you know what to do next. We’ll offer first-aid tips and get them scheduled right away if needed. Please note that our after-hours on-call service is exclusively available to current patients.
- Emergency Dental Exam: Once you’re here, we’ll examine and take X-rays of their mouth so we can determine the exact source and severity of their emergency.
- Treatment Plan: Our team will go over our findings with you and discuss possible treatment options (including the associated costs).
- Provide Relief: Once we get the go-ahead from you, we’ll spring into action to help your child. We may recommend a follow-up visit if we can’t complete everything in a single appointment, but we will stop their pain before you leave!
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
What counts as a dental emergency? Lots of things! It’s always better to just call us if you think your child is experiencing one…better to be safe than sorry! With that being said, here are just some of the pediatric dental emergencies we regularly encounter.
Keys to Preventing Pediatric Dental Emergencies
As a parent, it’s only natural to want to protect your child from harm. The good news is that there are several steps you can take to protect your little one’s teeth and gums. If you’re not sure where to start, then this next section is for you!
Reinforce Good Habits at Home, like Brushing and Flossing
To reduce the risk of cavities and other common oral health problems, your child needs to brush and floss consistently. Naturally, this is easier said than done, especially if your little one fights it day after day. Our advice is this: find a way to make it fun! Simple changes like playing a fun song or watching a short video can make oral hygiene something they look forward to instead of something they dread.
Schedule a Dental Checkup and Cleaning Every Six Months
As soon as your child’s first tooth emerges (or around their first birthday), you should bring them in for a checkup. This first visit is mainly to get acquainted, but the appointments will get more involved as they grow up. It’s also important to note that routine X-rays and exams allow us to catch serious oral health problems early on, and the cleanings ensure plaque is cleared away properly.
Keep Added Sugar to a Minimum
Like many other children, yours might love cake, ice cream, soda, and other sweet treats. While it’s certainly okay to indulge every now and again, it’s important to do your best to keep added sugar to a minimum since it’s one of the leading causes of decay. Finding nutrient-dense foods that your child likes will help keep their bellies full and their teeth healthy, so that’s a great place to start!
Get a Mouthguard If Your Child Plays Sports
If your child plays soccer after school with their friends, they are on their school’s football team, or they like participating in a solo sport, like skateboarding, they should have a mouthguard. This small, but important, appliance can protect them from numerous dental injuries, including a knocked-out tooth. So, if they don’t have a custom-made one already, it’s time to schedule an appointment with us!
Break Bad Habits, Like Nail-Biting
Many children bite their nails, chew on the back of their pencil, or use their teeth to open chip bags. Although habits like these may seem harmless, they dramatically increase the risk of dental damage. That’s why it’s important that you encourage them to break the habit and support them during the process. It will take some time and effort, but it’s worth it, especially since it can save them from a serious dental injury.
Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry for Kids
Like many other parents, you might be a bit concerned over the cost of your child’s emergency dental care. Don’t worry – we’re here to make every aspect of your visit with us stress-free, including navigating the financial side of their treatment. Below, you will find some helpful information about the cost, but don’t hesitate to give our Katy dental office a call if you have any specific questions.
Every Pediatric Dental Emergency is Different
The reason there isn’t a flat fee for emergency dentistry is because every situation is unique! While one child may visit us because of a painful toothache, the next might visit us because they knocked out a tooth. Although both require same-day care, the treatment process (and the price) will differ. The good news is that we can quickly alleviate your child’s pain, discuss the next best steps, and provide you with an estimate of the cost so there aren’t any unwanted surprises.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Pediatric Dental Emergencies?
Sometimes, yes! The best way to find out is by taking a look at the fine print on your dental plan. Since this is sometimes easier said than done, we recommend reaching out to your provider with any questions that come up. You can also give us a call – we happily accept most PPO dental insurance plans. So, we can help you understand your out-of-pocket expenses, utilize any available benefits, and even file the paperwork for you, making the entire process considerably less stressful.
Other Options for Making Pediatric Dental Emergencies Affordable
If you are currently uninsured, that’s okay! Our pediatric dental team near Katy proudly welcomes another financial solution: CareCredit. With this trusted third-party financier, you don’t have to pay for the entire cost of your child’s emergency care at once. Instead, you can choose a payment plan that works with your budget, and space out the cost into smaller, more manageable chunks. If you want to learn more, then give us a call – we’ll happily answer any questions you have.
How Taking Care of Your Child’s Smile Can Save You Money
There are actually a few ways taking care of your child’s smile can save you money. To start, good habits, like brushing and flossing consistently, dramatically lower the chances of common oral health problems developing, like cavities. Routine dental checkups and teeth cleanings also ensure that any issues that do develop are detected and treated before extensive, costly care is needed. So, do your best to commit to a solid at-home oral hygiene regimen and bring your child to our office twice a year for a visit.
If you have any questions about the cost of your child’s care, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us! We’d be happy to provide further insight on pricing and review the financial solutions we welcome more in-depth.
Dental Emergency FAQs
Will a Toothache Go Away on Its Own?
In some cases, a toothache can surprisingly vanish on its own. That said, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good thing. Whenever an infection in the mouth is left untreated, the condition can end up destroying the nerve of your little one’s tooth, meaning they may not be able to feel the pain. Although they won’t feel uncomfortable, the root of the issue remains. On top of that, any infection can then spread throughout the rest of their mouth and even go into the gum line and bloodstream. Without treatment, your child can potentially face complications with bodily health problems, such as heart disease. To avoid this, you’ll want to bring your child to their emergency pediatric dentist so they can treat the source of their toothache.
Should I Visit the Emergency Room First for Dental Emergencies?
You don’t want to take your little one to their local emergency room if they are only experiencing a toothache or sensitive tooth. In most cases, an urgent dental situation will best be addressed by taking them to an emergency dentist. That said, if your child is experiencing something more serious, such as a fractured jaw, difficulty breathing, or uncontrollable bleeding, then you’ll need to take them straight to their local ER instead. The hospital staff will be able to stabilize their condition and ensure that they are free of pain and discomfort, that way they’ll be safe to receive dental treatment.
What Does Throbbing Tooth Pain Mean?
Is your child complaining about a throbbing toothache that won’t go away? If so, you’re likely wondering what the main issue is and how to help them. While our team can’t technically provide an answer without a physical oral examination, some of the main culprits can often be decay, a cracked tooth, or an infection. That’s why it’s incredibly important to schedule your little one for an appointment with their emergency dentist right away if they’re experiencing this kind of condition. The sooner you can get them to our office, the sooner our team can identify the root problem and address the situation.
What Does Chronic Bad Breath Mean?
Does your child often struggle with bad breath (halitosis) in the morning? In most cases, this can be an indication that their oral hygiene regimen likely needs some improvement. That’s why you want to make sure they’re brushing and flossing routinely so that little to no debris and food particles get trapped between their teeth. You should also have them learn to clean their tongue so that they can avoid pungent foods from settling there, such as onions. If you’ve tried helping them get rid of the odor but nothing seems to work, bring them to our office for an appointment so that our team can ensure that tooth decay or some other problem isn’t the source of the complication.
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