Dental emergency tonight in Austin
Call 911 or go to an emergency room if swelling affects your breathing or swallowing, or bleeding will not stop with firm pressure. For a broken, loose or knocked out tooth or pain that keeps you awake, call a dentist now, follow the first aid steps below and keep any lost tooth moist.
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A dental problem at night feels urgent even when it can wait until morning, and sometimes it is more urgent than it looks. The first job is to sort out which one you have.
When should I go to the ER instead of a dentist?
Go to the emergency room, or call 911, when the problem is spreading beyond the tooth.
Swelling in the face or neck that makes it hard to breathe or swallow, a fever with a swollen jaw, a hard blow to the head, or bleeding that will not slow with firm pressure all belong in an emergency room. A dentist cannot treat those in the chair, and a hospital can.
What counts as a dental emergency for a dentist?
A tooth that is knocked out, loose, cracked or causing pain that keeps you awake is worth a call tonight.
Many practices keep a phone line or message channel open after hours, and some hold slots for same day problems. Check the practice’s hours and map page for when the office opens and how to reach it out of hours. A lost filling, a chipped edge with no pain or a loose bracket can usually wait for the next opening.
What do I do with a knocked out tooth?
Act fast, hold the tooth by the crown, and keep it wet.
The American Association of Endodontists gives these steps for an adult tooth [1]:
- Pick the tooth up by the crown, the part you chew with, never by the root.
- If it is dirty, rinse it gently with water only. Do not scrub it or use soap.
- Try to place it back in the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth to hold it.
- If it will not go back, keep it in milk or inside your cheek, not in plain tap water.
- See a dentist or endodontist as fast as you can.
The AAE says the best chance comes when a dentist sees the tooth within 30 minutes, though a tooth can sometimes be saved after longer [1]. Do not put a baby tooth back in; call a dentist instead.
What can I do for tooth pain until morning?
Keep the area clean, avoid very hot or very cold food, and call the practice as soon as it opens.
Rinsing with warm water and flossing gently around the sore tooth can free trapped food, which is a common cause of sudden pain. A cold pack on the cheek can ease swelling. Ask a pharmacist before taking any pain medicine you have not used before. Pain that fades overnight still needs a look, because the cause usually has not gone away.
What should I bring to the appointment?
Bring the tooth or any broken piece, a list of your medicines, and your insurance card.
Tell the front desk what happened and when, so they can see you in the right order. If the visit leads to a filling, a crown or a root canal, our services page explains what each one involves.
How do I avoid the next one?
Most dental emergencies start as small problems that were left alone.
Regular checkups catch cracks and decay before they hurt, and how often should I get a dental cleaning explains how the gap between visits is set. If you are still looking for a practice, how to choose a dentist you will actually keep is a good place to start.
This page is general information, not dental or medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.
Do you see same-day emergencies?
Yes. Call before noon and we see you the same day for a toothache, a chipped tooth or a lost filling. After hours the emergency line reaches the on-call dentist.