Kool-Smiles: Find a Kid-Friendly, 24-Hour Dentist Near You

What happens if your child experiences a dental emergency after normal business hours? Finding 24-hour dental care near you can seem impossible.

Kool Smiles provides extended evening and weekend service for its existing patients, and we have on-call doctors who offer flexible appointment times. Call Kool Smiles at 254-781-0553 if your child needs quality after-hours dental services.

If your child is experiencing a true medical emergency that can’t wait for a dentist, call 911.

After-Hours Dental Care

Emergency dental care affects many Americans. According to the CDC, 92.4 million work or school hours are lost annually due to unplanned dental emergencies. You can’t predict a dental emergency, but you can prepare for one by locating a 24-hour dentist near you.

If your child is experiencing a true emergency, call 911 immediately. For less serious dental issues, such as a cavity, chipped tooth or gingivitis, taking your child to see an after-hours general dentist is a more cost-effective solution.

Kool Smiles offers its existing patients after-hours dental care. If your child needs a 24-hour dentist, call us at 254-781-0553 to find a dental clinic or family-friendly office near you.

When to Seek After-Hours Dental Care and When to Wait

For dental emergencies that do not require you to call 911, you should seek a general dentist to fix the issue before it becomes a serious problem.

The following are considered dental emergencies:

• Tooth fracture or tooth trauma
• Oral infection or abscess
• Swelling near the jawline or under the mouth (a sign of Ludwig’s Angina)

Less severe issues that do not need immediate or after-hours treatment should still be considered an urgent dental concern. They may not be dental emergencies, but left untreated, they can become much more serious.

The following are considered urgent dental concerns:

• Sudden pain or toothache
• Sudden sensitivity to hot and cold food or beverages
• Cavity
• Bleeding gums (that can be stopped with direct pressure)
• Broken dental appliance

What to Do During a Dental Emergency

Whether your child fell off a bike or has a toothache, there are things you can do before the appointment to alleviate pain or help the Kool Smiles dentist.

After you care for the ache or injury, call 254-781-0553 and make an appointment or contact the on-call, 24-hour dentist to ask about availability and get further guidance.

Can You Still Go to the ER for a Dental Emergency?

If you or your child has a serious injury or urgent oral health issue, you should go to the emergency room. The ER doctor can give antibiotics and pain medication, or the doctor can stop bleeding that does not seem to stop.

Medical doctors, however, cannot perform dental procedures. They can only give temporary care until a dentist appointment is made. You and your child should always visit a licensed dentist to treat dental issues. Certified dentists, such as those at Kool Smiles, follow the American Dental Association (ADA) and American Academy of Pediatric Dentists (AAPD) guidelines to ensure proper care and safety.

How to Find the Right Dentist for Your Child

How can I find a good dentist near me? That’s a question that every parent needs to answer, since more than 40% of children have some tooth decay by the time they go to kindergarten.

When searching for dental care for your child, look for a dental practice that offers:

• Experienced practitioners and quality care
• Affordable pricing
• Convenient location
• Flexible hours

With early tooth decay becoming all too common, it’s more important than ever to bring your kids to a dentist from day one. At Kool Smiles, we strive to make quality dental care as accessible as possible. We understand that affordability and convenience allow families of all kinds to receive the services they need to prevent oral health issues.

Kool Smiles Services from a Dentist Near You

Whether it’s an emergency or a routine cleaning, Kool Smiles offers many services, including general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, wisdom tooth removal and orthodontics. We can handle it all.

Is an impacted wisdom tooth causing an infection that needs to be taken care of immediately? Do you need a referral to an orthodontist? Many locations have an orthodontist available.

Kool Smiles dentists make dental care convenient by providing a wide array of services at times that work for your schedule. Come in after 5 pm or on a weekend to many locations and avoid having to take time off from work or school to receive care.

Choose Safe and Excellent Dental Care

Don’t bring your child to just any dentist for urgent dental care. Bring your child to a dentist with strong experience and credentials.

Kool Smiles dentists are licensed and approved by their individual state’s Dental Board. They continue their training with quarterly continuing education classes and in-office training by senior dentists and regional training dentists. Our general dentists never stop learning and improving for their patients.

We take accountability and professionalism seriously. Our offices use advanced, computer-based practice management systems and award-winning electronic health records, so you know that you are receiving the best service possible.

What to Expect from the Kool Smiles Environment

It can be difficult to find a 24-hour dentist in your area that can keep your child calm and comfortable during a routine appointment or a more complex procedure. Our pediatric dentists and general dentists have experience with children of all ages, including those with special needs, and they enjoy treating them.

Our office will also bring a smile to your child’s face, especially during the stress of a toothache or painful cavity. Waiting rooms are bright, colorful and kid-friendly. There are also play areas for children while they wait.

Is an After-Hours Dentist Expensive?

Dental care from an after-hours provider should not cost more than a typical dental office. It will also cost much less than an expensive trip to the ER. If you were to visit the emergency room for a tooth-related issue, you’d likely be paying three times the cost of a regular dental visit with average prices reaching as high as $749.

Kool Smiles makes routine and emergency dental care accessible to children and adults from all backgrounds. We currently take patients with various dental care plans, such as:

• Medicaid
• State Children’s Health Insurance Plans (SCHIP)
• TRICARE
• Various insurance plans specific to your state (e.g. MassHealth, Oklahoma SoonerCare)
• Military insurance

Can My Child See a 24-Hour Dentist Without Insurance?

All children should have access to dental care. That’s why Kool Smiles works with families to make care affordable. You have the added option of paying for services with cash, credit and CareCredit. CareCredit allows you to pay for services in manageable, monthly installments.

If you don’t currently have insurance, you should consider applying for Medicaid. Medicaid is state-run, so benefits may vary by state. Some adults over 21 can get limited emergency dental services, while many patients under the age of 21 are guaranteed access to dental care.

CHIP is a Medicaid expansion designed to give children and young adults dental benefits. Individuals in low-income families without dental insurance may qualify if they are 19 or younger.

Call Kool Smiles at 254-781-0553 to discuss your insurance and alternate payment options with a Kool Smiles professional.

Here Is What Our Patients Have to Say

At Kool Smiles, your child will receive quality dental care. We encourage our parents to check out our patient reviews.

Here are just a few reviews from Kool Smiles patients:

“I love the way Kool Smiles treats my children. What I normally see is that my kids love coming here and they leave happy all the time.”

“We are seen right away; there are no long waits. They even remembered our names after the first visit, which really made us feel good.”

“I love the way they’re bilingual. They don’t hesitate to speak to you in Spanish and I love that.”

Can Adults See a Kool Smiles Dentist, Too?

Yes! Patients of all ages are welcome.

Visit a Kool Smiles Office Near You

With our flexible hours, make appointments that will work around your busy schedule. Many of our offices are open on Saturdays! Kool Smiles makes it easy to find an affordable dentist you can trust, right in your own backyard. With over 120 Kool Smiles locations across the United States, there’s probably a Kool Smiles near you!

Making sure your kids have strong, healthy teeth for the rest of their childhood is as easy as picking up the phone and calling Kool Smiles. Call us today at 254-781-0553 to learn about an after-hours dentist near you!

Remember: if you think your child is experiencing a true dental emergency, visit an emergency dentist or call 911 immediately!

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Sources:

Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2018/17_0225.htm

Texas A&M University Health Science Center: https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/you-asked-what-qualifies-as-a-dental-emergency/

Harvard Health: https://www.health.harvard.edu/oral-health/what-to-do-in-a-dental-emergency

NH HealthCost: https://nhhealthcost.nh.gov/guide/question/if-i-have-dental-emergency-do-not-have-dental-insurance-can-i-go-er

The Center for Pediatric Dentistry: https://thecenterforpediatricdentistry.com/for-parents-and-patients/why-early-childhood/

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/dental-caries/children

National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4386544/

USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/29/er-dental-visits/29492599/

CareCredit: https://www.carecredit.com/

Medicaid.gov: https://www.medicaid.gov/index.html