Straight answers to the questions people ask when a tooth goes wrong in Winter Haven: how fast we can see you, what it costs, what happens after 2:00 PM, and when a hospital is the better call. If your question isn't here, phone (863) 555-0170; a real person answers at any hour.
The $70 is a minimum fee for patients paying without insurance. It covers a limited, problem-focused emergency exam (ADA code D0140) and the X-ray needed to diagnose the tooth. Treatment is priced separately and quoted to you in writing before any work starts.
Same-day appointments · $70 exam + X-ray · Phones answered 24/7 · Se habla español
Getting seen
Can I see a dentist today in Winter Haven?
Yes, on a weekday. Call (863) 555-0170 between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and the front desk gives you a time the same day. We keep room in every day's schedule for emergencies. The earlier you call, the more choice you have.
Do you take walk-ins?
No. We ask everyone to call first, even from the parking lot. The call is how we know how urgent you are, get a room and the X-ray ready, and check your insurance before you arrive. Details on the same-day dentist page.
What are your hours?
Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday. The phone is answered 24/7 regardless.
What happens if I call after 2pm or on a weekend?
An answering service picks up, takes your details, and holds you the first opening at 8:00 AM the next business day. They don't give medical advice. Our after-hours page explains how to manage pain overnight and when to go to a hospital instead.
Is there a dentist open overnight in Winter Haven?
We don't know of one with a dentist in the chair overnight. Our phone is answered around the clock and our office opens at 8:00 AM, earlier than most, so an overnight problem is looked at first thing. Swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, or an injury with a possible broken jaw, goes to an emergency room tonight.
Do you see children?
Yes, with a parent or guardian present. Toothaches, chipped teeth and knocked-out teeth in kids are seen the same day.
Cost and insurance
How much does an emergency visit cost?
For patients paying without insurance, the exam and X-ray are $70, which is a minimum fee: it covers the diagnosis. Treatment is priced separately, and our dentist writes the figure down before starting. If you have a PPO plan we accept, the exam and X-ray are billed to your plan. The cost and insurance page has the full explanation.
Why won't you tell me what an extraction or root canal costs before I come in?
Because the price depends on the tooth, and nobody can see the tooth without an X-ray. A single-root tooth and a broken molar with curved roots are different procedures. You'll see the exact written price at the visit, before anything starts, and you can say no.
Which insurance do you take?
Most PPO dental plans and several Medicare Advantage plans: Aetna PPO, Ambetter, Ameritas PPO, AARP PPO, AVS Dental PPO, Anthem PPO, Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, the Carrington 500 Series discount plan, Ultimate Health and Wellcare, plus CarePlus HMO, Devoted, Freedom Health, Humana PPO and HMO, and Liberty PPO and HMO. Not on the list? Call and ask.
Do you accept Medicaid?
No. We don't accept Medicaid or HMO plans other than the Medicare Advantage plans listed above. Patients without insurance are welcome and pay the $70 exam and X-ray fee plus the written treatment price.
Do you offer payment plans?
Cherry and CareCredit financing are available. Ask at the front desk before treatment begins. Rates and approval are set by the financing companies, not by us.
Pain and symptoms
What counts as a dental emergency?
Pain that keeps you from sleeping or eating, swelling of the gum, cheek or jaw, a knocked-out or loosened tooth, a broken tooth with pain or a sharp edge, a lost filling or crown with sensitivity, bleeding that won't stop, and any dental infection with fever. If it hurts enough that you're reading this, it's worth a call.
What can I do for a toothache tonight?
Ibuprofen or acetaminophen as the package directs, warm salt-water rinses, head propped up, and nothing very hot or cold on the tooth. Don't put aspirin on the gum. Then call so you're first in line at 8:00 AM. More on the toothache relief page.
My face is swollen. Dentist or ER?
If the swelling is spreading toward your eye or down your neck, if swallowing or breathing is hard, or if you have a fever, go to the emergency room now; Winter Haven Hospital is on First Street North near downtown. If the swelling is limited to the gum or one cheek and you can swallow normally, call us for a same-day abscess appointment.
My tooth was knocked out. What do I do?
Pick it up by the crown, rinse it briefly in milk, put it back in the socket if it's an adult tooth, and call immediately. If it won't go in, keep it in milk, not water. The knocked-out tooth page has the full steps. Minutes matter.
My tooth stopped hurting. Am I in the clear?
Usually not. A tooth that hurt for days and then went quiet has often lost its nerve, and the infection is still there. That's the path to an abscess. Have it looked at.
Can the ER pull a tooth?
Hospitals treat spreading infection and injuries; they generally don't treat the tooth itself. An ER can give antibiotics and pain relief and handle a broken jaw or severe swelling. The extraction, root canal or repair happens at a dental office. We wrote more on this: can the ER pull a tooth in Florida?
Treatment
Will you treat me at the first visit or just examine me?
Both, in most cases. The exam and X-ray come first because the treatment depends on the diagnosis. Once you approve the written price, the extraction, filling, root canal or drainage usually happens right then. A tooth in heavy infection sometimes needs antibiotics first.
Do you do root canals and extractions in the office?
Yes. Root canals, simple and surgical extractions, including wisdom teeth, fillings, crowns and broken tooth repairs are all done here by our dentists. We don't send you across town for the procedure.
Root canal or extraction?
If the tooth has enough sound structure and the root isn't cracked, our dentists generally recommend saving it. If it's cracked through the root or too broken down, extraction is the honest answer. The X-ray decides, and you'll hear both options with prices.
Does treatment hurt?
The area is numbed completely before anything starts, and we don't begin until you can't feel a test touch. Pressure, yes; sharp pain, no. Soreness afterward is managed with the over-the-counter medicine our dentist recommends.
Language and location
Do you speak Spanish?
Our office staff speak Spanish during office hours, on the phone and in the chair. The after-hours answering service takes details in English, and we call you back in the morning.
Where are you?
1178 Havendale Blvd NW, Winter Haven, FL 33881, on Havendale Boulevard NW just west of US 17, about a mile and a half northwest of downtown. Parking on site. Directions are on the contact page, and drive times from Auburndale, Lake Alfred, Eagle Lake, Cypress Gardens and beyond are on the service area page.