Emergency Dentist in Richardson, TX
When a tooth breaks on a Saturday or wakes you up at 3 a.m., you need someone who will pick up the phone and tell you what to do next. That is what we try to be.
What to Do When You Need Help Right Now
If you are looking for an emergency dentist in Richardson TX, the first thing we want you to know is that you can call us and talk to a real person about what is happening. We will ask a few questions, figure out what is urgent and what can wait until tomorrow, and tell you honestly whether you need to come in today or whether there is something safe to do at home until morning.
Dental emergencies do not follow a schedule. A crown comes off the night before a flight. A back tooth cracks on a piece of bread. A child takes a hit at soccer practice and a front tooth is loose. We see all of these, and we hold space in the schedule for the people who need it.
Dr. Korenman has practiced in Richardson for more than 30 years, and he answers his own phone after hours more often than not. If you are in pain, that is the call to make. We will not lecture you about how long it has been since your last cleaning. We will focus on what hurts and what to do about it.
What Counts as a Dental Emergency
Not every dental problem is an emergency, and we will tell you when something can safely wait. A true emergency usually involves pain that is not improving, visible swelling, bleeding that will not stop, or a tooth that has been knocked loose or out of position by an injury. If any of those describe what is happening, call us.
Other situations are urgent but not same-hour: a filling that fell out and the tooth is sensitive to cold, a chipped front tooth without pain, a crown that came off cleanly and the underlying tooth is intact. These usually need to be seen in the next day or two, not in the next hour. We will get you on the schedule and tell you how to protect the tooth in the meantime.
And then there are things that feel alarming but are not emergencies at all. A small chip on the edge of a molar with no pain. A canker sore. Mild gum tenderness after flossing for the first time in a while. We are happy to take a look at any of these at a regular appointment, and we will say so on the phone instead of pulling you in unnecessarily.
How We Handle Cracked Teeth, Knocked-Out Teeth, and Abscesses
A cracked or fractured tooth gets a careful look first. Sometimes the crack is shallow and a filling or onlay is enough. Sometimes it runs deeper and the tooth needs a crown, or root canal therapy, to stay. Our in-house 3D NewTom VG3 cone-beam CT lets us see the tooth and the bone around it in three dimensions, so we are not guessing about how deep the fracture goes before we talk through your options.
If a permanent tooth has been knocked out by an injury, time matters. Pick the tooth up by the crown (the white part, not the root), rinse it gently with milk or saline if you can, and either place it back in the socket or keep it in milk on the way to our office. Call us while you are heading over. The faster we can replant the tooth, the better the odds it stays.
A dental abscess is an infection at the root of a tooth or in the gum, and it will not resolve on its own. Signs include throbbing pain, swelling in the face or jaw, a bad taste, or a pimple-like bump on the gum. We treat the infection and address the underlying cause, whether that is root canal therapy, an extraction, or periodontal care. If you have swelling that is spreading or you are having trouble swallowing or breathing, that is an emergency room visit, not a dental visit. We will tell you that directly.
What an Emergency Visit at Loveable Smiles Looks Like
When you come in for an emergency, we start with the problem you called about, not a full set of new-patient paperwork. We will take a focused look, capture the imaging we need (often a cone-beam scan if the issue involves bone, roots, or a possible fracture), and explain what we are seeing in plain language before we recommend anything.
Then we talk through your options and the fees that go with each one. If a tooth can be saved with root canal therapy and a crown, we will say so. If it is past saving and an extraction is the honest call, we will say that too, along with what tooth replacement would look like down the road, whether that is a dental implant, a bridge, or leaving the space alone for now. You get to decide. We are not going to talk you into a treatment plan in a moment when you are hurting.
If something is outside our scope (a complex jaw fracture, for example, or an oral surgery case that belongs with a specialist), we say so and help you get to the right place. That has always been part of how this office works. Dr. Korenman also calls patients the evening after a procedure to check in and shares a direct number so you can reach him if something feels off overnight.
Insurance, Fees, and Paying for an Emergency Visit
We work with most PPO dental insurance plans and will file the claim for you. Before any work begins, we will give you a written estimate of what is covered and what your out-of-pocket portion is likely to be. If you are not sure what your plan includes, call us with your insurance card handy and we will look it up while you are on the phone.
If you do not have insurance, that does not change how we treat you. We will quote the fees in plain language, walk through what is urgent now versus what can wait, and talk about financing options if a larger treatment plan is on the table. The goal is to get you out of pain first, then make a plan you can actually afford.
You can read more about how we handle coverage on our dental insurance page, or ask us at the visit. Either is fine.
Why a Calm Emergency Visit Matters
A dental emergency is stressful enough without feeling rushed through it. The point of how we run these visits is simple: slow down enough to look carefully, explain what is happening, and let you make the decision about what to do next. Three decades of practice has taught Dr. Korenman that the patients who feel heard in the first ten minutes are the ones who heal better and trust the follow-up plan.
Once the immediate problem is handled, we can talk about what got you here, if you want to. Sometimes an emergency is just bad luck, a popcorn kernel and a back molar. Sometimes it is a sign that a few other things have been put off for a while, and you are ready to address them. Either is fine. We can fold the next steps into family dentistry visits, or coordinate with restorative dentistry and dental implants in Richardson TX if a tooth could not be saved.
If you have not been to a dentist in years, this is still a fine place to start. We hear those stories every week. No lecture, no shame, just a careful look at what is going on and a plan that fits where you actually are.
Questions About Emergency Dental Care in Richardson
How do I know if I am having a dental emergency?
A true emergency usually involves pain that is not improving, visible swelling, bleeding that will not stop, or a tooth that has been knocked loose or out of position by an injury. If any of those describe what is happening, call us. A lost filling or a crown that came off cleanly is usually urgent but not same-hour, and we will tell you how to protect the tooth until we can see you.
What should I do if a tooth gets knocked out?
Pick the tooth up by the crown, the white part, not the root. Rinse it gently with milk or saline if you can, then either place it back in the socket or keep it in milk on the way to our office. Call us while you are heading over. The faster we can replant the tooth, the better the odds it stays.
Will I need a root canal or an extraction?
It depends on what we find. A shallow crack may only need a filling or onlay, while a deeper one may need a crown or root canal therapy to keep the tooth. Our in-house cone-beam CT lets us see the tooth and the bone around it before we talk through options, and you make the decision about what to do next.
When should I go to the emergency room instead?
If you have swelling that is spreading, or you are having trouble swallowing or breathing, go to the emergency room. We will tell you that directly on the phone.
How much does an emergency visit cost?
Fees depend on what the tooth needs, and we explain the options and the fee for each one before any work begins. We work with most PPO dental insurance plans, file the claim for you, and give you a written estimate of your portion first. If you do not have insurance, we quote fees in plain language and can talk about financing if a larger plan is on the table.
Do I need to be a current patient to call?
No. We start with the problem you called about, not a full set of new-patient paperwork. If you have not been to a dentist in years, this is still a fine place to start.
Call Us First, Then Come In
If you are in pain or you think something is wrong, call Loveable Smiles in Richardson and tell us what is happening. We will figure out together whether you need to be seen today, tomorrow, or at your next regular visit.