A chipped, cracked or broken tooth gets repaired the same day at our office in Independence, with a smoothed edge, a filling, or a crown made here and placed before you leave. Call (859) 555-0147 and we hold you a 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM or 3:00 PM slot, Monday through Thursday. Call first. No walk-ins.
The $89 covers the emergency exam and the X-rays needed to diagnose the tooth, for patients paying without insurance. Treatment is priced separately and quoted to you in writing before any work starts.
Same-day appointments · $89 exam + X-rays · Phones answered 24/7 · Se habla español
When a broken tooth needs repair today
Teeth break on popcorn kernels, ice, a fall off a bike, or an elbow at a Friday-night game. Sometimes an old, large filling simply gives way.
A small chip leaves a rough edge that scrapes your tongue or cheek. A cracked tooth often looks fine but zings when you bite and let go, or when cold hits it. A tooth broken off at the gum line may bleed a little and leave a sharp stump.
An ignored crack runs deeper with every meal, and once it reaches the nerve or splits the root, the fix gets bigger or the tooth is lost. Rinse with warm water, keep the piece if you found it, and, until you're seen, cover any sharp edge with a bit of sugarless gum.
If a filling or crown fell out and the tooth under it is whole, see lost filling or crown. If the entire tooth came out, root and all, go to knocked-out tooth, because there, minutes matter.
What happens at your same-day visit
X-rays and a few bite tests come first, since a crack can run below the gum or into the root. Then you hear what we found and the price in writing. Nothing starts until you say yes.
A minor chip is smoothed and polished. A break that took a corner off is rebuilt with a tooth-colored filling, shaped and hardened in the chair.
A larger break, or a crack that has weakened the tooth, needs a crown to hold it together. The tooth is shaped and scanned, and a CEREC same-day crown is milled in our office and cemented at the same visit. When a crack has reached the nerve, the inside is treated first.
A tooth broken off at the gum is judged on what's left below. A sound root with enough to build on can often be crowned. If the break runs down the root, or the stump is too short to hold anything, emergency tooth extraction happens at the same visit, and we go over your choices for replacing it.
Cost of broken tooth repair in Independence, KY
Without insurance, the exam and X-rays cost $89. The repair is quoted after the X-rays, since a smoothed chip, a filling and a crown are different amounts of work. You see the figure in writing before you decide.
With PPO or traditional dental insurance, your plan gets the bill for the exam and X-rays. Call with your card handy and we check before you arrive. Cherry, LendingClub and CareCredit are accepted. Our cost and insurance page explains the rest.
Why patients choose our Independence office
Crowns are made in our office rather than sent out, so a broken tooth is examined and finished in one visit, by dentists licensed in Kentucky. Parking is on site. We open at 9:00 AM Monday through Thursday, until 5:00 PM on Monday and Wednesday and until 6:00 PM on Tuesday and Thursday, with three same-day slots held every open day. Someone real answers the phone day or night; after hours that's an answering service, which jots down your details and saves you the first opening. Break a tooth Thursday night or over the weekend and that opening is Monday at 9:00 AM.
Broken tooth repair near you in Northern Kentucky
Our office is at 5302 Madison Pike, Independence, KY 41051, on Madison Pike (KY 17 Business) in the center of town, a short distance from the Kenton County Courthouse. From Fort Wright, take Kyles Lane to Madison Pike (KY 17), then south, about 8.5 miles and 14 to 20 minutes. From Walton, follow Walton Nicholson Pike (KY 16) east to Madison Pike and turn north, about 8 miles and 13 to 20 minutes. From Taylor Mill, Taylor Mill Road (KY 16) brings you southwest into town, about 6 miles and 12 to 18 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a chipped tooth wait until next week?
If a small chip isn't hurting, a few days' wait is usually fine, but call anyway so a slot is held. A chip that's sensitive to cold, hurts when you bite, or has a jagged edge cutting your tongue should be seen today. Leaving a chip alone often turns it into a crack, and a crack is a bigger repair.
Should I bring the broken piece with me?
Yes, if you have it. Keep it in milk or damp gauze. A clean piece of a front tooth can sometimes be bonded back on. More often the piece is too small or dry to use and the tooth is rebuilt with filling material, but it still shows us the original shape.
What does a cracked tooth feel like?
Usually a short, sharp pain when you bite on something and let go, rather than a constant ache. The crack is often invisible, so the tooth looks normal, and bite tests and X-rays find it. Caught early, a crown holds the pieces together and the tooth stays.
Can a tooth broken at the gum line be saved?
Sometimes. It depends on how much healthy root sits below the gum and whether the break runs into it. Enough sound root and the tooth can be built up and crowned, often after treating the inside first. A split root, or a stump too short to hold a crown, is removed instead.