Orthodontic Emergency – McKinney, TX

Are you dealing with increased soreness or a loose wire? Are you worried your damaged appliance will negatively impact your treatment timeline? The truth is that it can if you leave it alone for too long. Fortunately, at OakBrook Dental & Orthodontics, Dr. Coughlin is a board-certified orthodontist who can quickly alleviate irritation, reduce discomfort, and help you feel better in less time with treatment for orthodontic emergencies in McKinney. If you call our office, we will work to schedule your appointment as soon as possible, ensuring you achieve quick relief and avoid the potential for a delay in treatment.

How We Treat Orthodontic Emergencies

While each orthodontic emergency is different, you can typically expect us to follow these steps to resolve the issue:

• Provide Tips Over the Phone: When you call our office, our team will listen as you explain what happened. Then we will give you advice for getting the situation under control at home. This can potentially involve taking over-the-counter pain relievers to manage discomfort or covering the damaged part of your braces with orthodontic wax.
• Schedule an Emergency Appointment: Sometimes it may be possible to fix the issue over the phone. If this isn’t the case, however, our team will set up an emergency appointment for you. Rest assured that we’ll strive to see you as soon as we can.
• Treat the Problem: Once you get to our office, our emergency orthodontist in McKinney will take whatever steps are necessary to address your emergency. Sometimes it may be possible to fix the problem in a single appointment; in other cases, you might need to come back for a follow-up visit.

The Most Common Orthodontic Emergencies

Orthodontic emergencies usually aren’t severe, but if you have concerns about your orthodontic appliance or are experiencing discomfort, it’s a good idea to call our office to see what our team recommends. Below are some examples of common orthodontic emergencies that we can help with.

Understanding the Cost of Treating Orthodontic Emergencies

Unfortunately, because each dental emergency is as unique as your individual smile, it’s impossible to determine the exact cost of your treatment until we can examine your mouth in person. However, once we’ve had the opportunity to see you, we can give you a personalized treatment plan including a more accurate cost estimate. To that end, we pledge to always be completely transparent about our pricing and will always provide you with your cost before beginning any work. While we know that orthodontic emergencies can be expensive, neglecting damaged equipment and teeth can ultimately cost more in the long run, and can even cause permanent or serious harm to your smile!

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Orthodontic Emergencies: As Unique as Your Smile

The cost of treating an orthodontic emergency can range from fast, easy, affordable fixes like dental fillings or prescription mouthwashes, to more involved and costly treatments like root canals or extractions. If the damage in question is related to your wires and brackets, this can often be handled in just a few minutes, and for a relatively low price, if any at all.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Orthodontic Emergencies?

Depending on your individual plan, many dental insurance policies do cover dental emergencies. In most cases, procedures like root canals, fillings, and extractions will qualify for at least some coverage, typically anywhere from 50 to 80 percent. However, please be aware that every plan is different, which is why it’s very important that you verify your coverage with your dental insurance provider prior to agreeing to treatment. If you’d like assistance with this, our dental insurance team is happy to help!

Don’t forget that if you have dental insurance, you are likely entitled to two preventive dental checkups and cleanings each year. These can help keep your teeth and gums looking and feeling their best and can even help you avoid painful dental emergencies later!

Other Options for Making Orthodontic Emergencies Affordable

In addition to warmly welcoming Medicaid and all PPO dental plans, OakBrook Dental & Orthodontics proudly accepts the following payment options for making the cost of orthodontic emergencies more affordable:

• Our Healthy Smiles Dental Plan is perfect for patients who don’t have private dental insurance and includes discounts on a variety of treatments such as dental cleanings, exams, and restorative procedures like root canals.
• We are pleased to accept flexible financing plans from our preferred third-party lenders Cherry and CareCredit. These programs allow you to split up the cost of your treatment into multiple low-or-no interest monthly payments that may be more manageable with your budget.

How Caring for Your Smile Can Save Your Money

Although accidents can certainly happen, in most cases orthodontic emergencies occur because of preventable issues like oral infection or tooth damage. That’s why it’s so important to maintain your smile with a solid, at-home oral hygiene routine including brushing twice a day and flossing daily. Furthermore, it is vitally important to maintain your regular dental checkups and cleanings with your dentist at OakBrook Dental & Orthodontics, as these can often help alert you to emerging issues or completely prevent them in the first place!

If you notice sudden dental discomfort, or have damaged a tooth, don’t wait to get help. While it is understandable that you might be nervous about the cost, teeth don’t repair themselves, and the longer you wait to get help, the more the costly and serious the problem could get!

Keys to Preventing Orthodontic Emergencies

In order to lower the risk of experiencing an orthodontic emergency, you should stick to the rules we give you regarding your treatment plan. For example, if you’re wearing braces, you should stay away from hard or sticky foods that might damage your brackets and wires. It’s also a good idea to wear a mouthguard whenever you play any sort of sport. On top of that, you should make a point of maintaining good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing twice a day.