Here are the questions we hear most when people phone our office on Madison Pike with a tooth that won't settle down. The short version: call (859) 555-0147 before you drive over, someone picks up at any hour, and we hold same-day emergency times Monday through Thursday. The longer answers are below, grouped so you can skip straight to what matters tonight.
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
Being seen today in Independence, KY
Can I see an emergency dentist in Independence today?
On a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, yes. We keep three emergency times open on each of those days, at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM, for people who call that morning. Phone (859) 555-0147 at 9:00 AM when the front desk arrives and ask for the first one. Call early and you get more choice of times.
What are your office hours?
Monday and Wednesday we're open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tuesday and Thursday we stay until 6:00 PM. There are no office hours at all on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The phone keeps a different schedule and is answered day and night, every day of the week. Chair time only happens inside those four weekdays, so a call placed on Friday gets you Monday's first opening.
Do you take walk-ins?
No. Even if you live three minutes up Madison Pike, please call before heading over. That call lets us hold a room, get the X-ray set up and verify your insurance ahead of your arrival. Show up without calling and you may find the day's three emergency times already spoken for. Our same-day dentist page follows the visit from the first ring to the chair.
What an emergency dental visit costs in Independence, KY
How much is the emergency exam?
$89 for patients paying without insurance. It covers the exam plus the X-rays our dentists need in order to see what's wrong. Treatment is not included in it. Once they've looked at the tooth and the image, they write down the cost of what they recommend, and you decide before anything starts. For the full picture, see the cost and insurance page.
Can you tell me what treatment will cost over the phone?
Not honestly. A toothache can be a cavity that needs a filling, a nerve that needs a root canal, or a root cracked below the gum that has to come out. From the outside they feel the same. The X-ray tells them apart. After the exam you get a written figure for the treatment our dentists suggest, and the decision stays with you.
Which dental insurance do you take?
PPO dental insurance and most traditional dental insurance plans. With either kind of plan, we bill the exam and X-rays to your insurance. Coverage differs from one plan to the next, so call with your card handy and we check before you arrive. That way you know where you stand before leaving the house.
What about Medicaid or HMO dental plans?
Neither is accepted at our office. If that's your coverage, you're treated like any patient paying without insurance: you pay $89 for the exam and X-rays, and treatment pricing is put in writing. The front desk can go over it with you on the phone before you book, so nothing comes as a surprise at the desk.
Do you offer payment plans?
We work with Cherry, LendingClub and CareCredit. Mention it when you call or at the visit and the front desk explains how each one works. We don't post rates or terms on this site because those come from the finance company, not from us. The cost and insurance page lists what to have ready when you ask.
After hours, Friday and weekends in Independence
Are you open on Friday?
No. Our last chair time of the week is Thursday at 6:00 PM, and the office stays closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The phone is still answered on Friday. Call (859) 555-0147 and the answering service takes your name, a callback number and a short description of the trouble, then puts you down for Monday's first opening at 9:00 AM.
My tooth broke on a Saturday or Sunday. What now?
Call us anyway. A real person answers on the weekend, takes your details and holds Monday's 9:00 AM opening under your name. Then use the steps on our weekend and after-hours page to get through until then: rinse, pain reliever as labeled, a cold pack, soft food on the other side. If swelling spreads or breathing gets hard, go to the hospital instead.
Are you a 24-hour emergency dental office?
No, and we won't pretend to be. What runs 24/7 is the phone. Our dentists see patients Monday through Thursday only. The person who answers at 2:00 AM is an answering service. Expect no medical advice from them, and no overnight appointment either; neither is in their power. What they do is make sure the first available time is written down with your name on it before you hang up.
Who answers the phone at night?
During office hours, Monday through Thursday, our own front desk. Outside those hours, an answering service that works for us. They jot down your name and number, ask what's going on, and hold the first opening for you. Call Monday evening and that's Tuesday at 9:00 AM. Call Thursday evening, Friday or any time Saturday or Sunday and it's Monday at 9:00 AM.
Specific emergencies: pain, swelling, broken and knocked-out teeth
Will the tooth come out at the same visit?
In many cases, yes. When the exam and X-ray confirm the tooth can't be saved, and it's safe to go ahead, our dentists do both simple and surgical extractions in the office, wisdom teeth included. You see the written cost first. Some teeth call for a different plan, and we'll say so. The emergency tooth extraction page explains how that visit goes.
A tooth just got knocked out. What do I do right now?
Hold it by the crown, the white part, and leave the root alone. If there's dirt on it, a quick rinse in milk is enough; no scrubbing. If you can, seat it back in its socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. Otherwise carry it in a cup of milk, or hold it inside your cheek. Call us at once. An adult tooth put back within the hour has the fairest chance. See the knocked-out tooth page.
Can you fix a broken tooth or replace a lost crown in one visit?
Usually. A chipped edge can be smoothed, a small break filled, and a lost crown re-cemented if it's still sound. When the tooth needs a new crown and can be kept, we make a CEREC same-day crown in our office and place it in the same visit. When the tooth can't be kept, we talk through removing it. Details are on the broken tooth repair page.
My face is swelling. Do I come to you or go to the ER?
It depends on how far it has spread. A sore lump on the gum next to one tooth, or a puffy cheek on that side, usually means an abscess, and we treat those here. When swelling has reached your eye or neck, you're running a fever, or swallowing or breathing has gotten hard, the hospital comes before our office in Independence. Hospitals treat spreading infection and injuries; they generally don't treat the tooth itself. Phone our office once you're out of the hospital. See the dental abscess page.
Sedation, Spanish and our Independence office
Do you offer sedation for nervous patients?
Yes. Nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation and IV sedation are all available in our office, depending on the procedure and your health history. Tell the front desk you're anxious when you book. Our dentists then plan the right option and give you any instructions ahead of time, such as not eating beforehand or bringing someone along to drive you home.
Is Spanish spoken at your office?
Yes. While the front desk is open, Monday through Thursday, you'll find Spanish-speaking staff in our office, so you can describe the problem, ask about cost and go over the written treatment plan in that language. After hours, the answering service takes calls in English. We also keep Spanish-language pages on this site, starting at our página en español.
Where is your office, and is there parking?
We're 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. Parking is on site. From I-275, take exit 80 and follow KY 17 south about 7 miles. Directions from each nearby town are on the contact page.
Do you treat every dental emergency in-house?
Most of them. Our office on Madison Pike handles exams and X-rays, extractions, root canals, abscess treatment, broken and knocked-out teeth, and lost fillings and crowns. Some cases need care beyond what we provide here, including some patients with certain health conditions. When that is true we tell you plainly and help you arrange the next step.