Emergency dental care in Houston, same day
Tooth pain that will not quit, a swollen jaw, a knocked-out tooth. We hold same-day slots every weekday and Saturday morning. Call (713) 322-7474 before noon and we can almost always see you the same day.
Some of this needs an emergency room, not a dentist
Read this part first, because it is the one thing on this page that could matter tonight.
Go to a hospital emergency room, or call 911, rather than a dental office if any of these apply:
• Swelling that is spreading toward your eye, or down into your neck or under your jaw.
• Any difficulty breathing or swallowing, or a change in your voice.
• Swelling together with a fever, chills, or feeling generally unwell.
• You cannot open your mouth more than about an inch.
• Facial trauma where you may have broken a jaw, or bleeding that will not stop with fifteen minutes of firm pressure.
A dental infection that has spread into the tissues of the face and neck is a medical emergency, not a toothache. Dentists treat the tooth; a hospital treats the spread. If you are reading the list above and recognizing yourself, stop reading and go.
For everything else, and that is most things, a dentist is the right call and an emergency room is usually a long wait for antibiotics and a referral back to a dentist anyway.
Emergency, urgent, or can it wait
Same-day problems: pain that keeps you awake or wakes you at night, pain that does not respond to over-the-counter relief, swelling of the gum, cheek or jaw, a tooth knocked out or pushed out of position, a broken tooth with an exposed nerve or a sharp edge cutting your tongue, or a dental abscess.
Worth being seen within a few days: a lost filling or crown with no pain, a chipped tooth that is not sharp and not sensitive, a broken denture, an ache that comes and goes with hot or cold but settles.
Usually can wait for a normal appointment: mild sensitivity, a small chip you can only feel with your tongue, food packing between two teeth, a wisdom tooth that aches occasionally without swelling.
If you are not sure which of the three you are in, call and describe it. Working that out over the phone is free and takes two minutes.
What to do in the next hour
A knocked-out adult tooth is the one where minutes genuinely count. Pick it up by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline rather than tap water, and do not scrub it. If you can, put it back in the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk, or in your own saliva, and get to us. Do not let it dry out. A tooth replanted within the first hour has a far better outlook than one replanted at hour three.
A knocked-out baby tooth is different. Do not put it back, because replanting can damage the adult tooth developing underneath. Bring the child in, and bring the tooth.
For a broken tooth, save any pieces, rinse your mouth with warm water, and use a cold compress on the outside of your face.
For a lost filling or crown, keep the crown if you have it. Temporary dental cement from a pharmacy is fine for a night. Superglue is not, and it makes the tooth harder to save.
For swelling, cold on the outside of the face, sit up rather than lie flat, and call. Do not put an aspirin against the gum: it burns the tissue and does nothing for the tooth.
If we are closed
We are open Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 9 to 3. We are not a 24 hour service, and this page is not going to pretend otherwise while you are in pain at two in the morning.
If it can wait until we open, here is what actually helps overnight. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen taken together, at label doses, work better for dental pain than either alone for most people, provided you can take both safely. Sleep propped up rather than flat, since lying down increases the pressure and the throbbing. Cold on the outside of the face. Avoid very hot, very cold and very sweet things, which set off an exposed nerve.
If it cannot wait, go by the list at the top of this page. Spreading swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, fever with facial swelling, or trauma to the jaw are emergency room situations at any hour, and a 24 hour dental clinic is not the right destination for those either.
Call us at (713) 322-7474 first thing. Voicemail overnight is fine, and calling before noon is what gets you seen the same day.
How to get seen the same day
Call (713) 322-7474. We hold same-day emergency slots every weekday, and Saturday runs 9 to 3, so a Friday evening problem does not have to wait until Monday.
As a rule, call before noon and we can almost always see you the same day. For severe pain or swelling we prioritize same-day even after the schedule has filled.
Tell whoever answers what is happening rather than just asking for an appointment. Swelling, a knocked-out tooth and uncontrolled bleeding change how quickly you are brought in, and the front desk cannot triage what they have not been told.
If you are a new patient, that is fine and it does not slow anything down. Bring an ID, your insurance card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take.
What emergency treatment involves
The visit starts with an exam and imaging, often a CBCT 3D scan when an infection or a fracture needs to be seen properly rather than guessed at.
The first goal is getting you out of pain and getting any infection under control. That is not always the same visit as the definitive repair, and we will tell you which is which rather than letting you assume the problem is finished.
Draining an abscess, opening a tooth to relieve pressure, temporarily dressing a broken tooth or refitting a crown are all same-visit. A root canal at $1,200 or an extraction at $290 may be same-visit or may follow once swelling has settled, because working through an active infection is less effective and more uncomfortable.
Antibiotics are prescribed when they are indicated by the spread of infection, and not as a substitute for treating the tooth. An antibiotic without treatment usually means the pain returns a week later.
Emergency root canals and extractions
A tooth that is throbbing constantly, keeping you awake, or painful to bite on usually has an infected nerve, and the choice is between saving it and removing it.
An emergency root canal starts at $1,200 and is performed here by endodontists rather than referred out. In an acute situation the first appointment is often about relieving the pressure and the pain, with the canal system completed at a follow-up once things have calmed down.
An emergency extraction is $290 and is done by our oral and maxillofacial surgeons. If the tooth cannot be restored, removing it is the right answer rather than a failure, and we will say so plainly. IV sedation is available at $1,500 if you would rather not be present for it.
Either way you get the cost in writing before treatment starts, in pain or not. Nobody should agree to something they have not seen the price of.
Cost, and if you have no insurance
You get the price in writing before treatment begins. That is the whole point of a written quote, and it matters more in an emergency than anywhere else, because someone in pain will agree to almost anything.
The emergency exam and imaging come first. A temporary repair to a broken or lost filling or crown is $350. Extraction is $290, root canal $1,200, IV sedation $1,500.
Whether your policy contributes depends entirely on that policy. Emergency treatment is more commonly covered than elective work because it is clinically necessary rather than chosen, but the share, the deductible and any waiting period are specific to your plan. We verify with your insurer, file the claim for you, and give you your share in writing.
With no insurance, Cherry, Affirm and Sunbit spread the balance monthly, and applying takes a few minutes without a hard credit check. Our in-house membership plan is $199 a year and covers exams, cleanings and X rays with 15% off other procedures, though it is not insurance.
What we will not do is quote a figure over the phone for a tooth nobody has looked at.
Children
We see children from their first birthday onward, and dental emergencies in children are common and usually less alarming than they look.
A knocked-out baby tooth should not be put back in, because replanting risks damaging the permanent tooth forming above it. Bring the child and the tooth. A knocked-out permanent tooth in an older child follows the adult guidance above, and the hour matters.
Chipped front teeth from falls and playground collisions are the most frequent thing we see. Bring any fragments.
Swelling of the face in a child, or a child who is feverish and unwell alongside a toothache, should be treated as urgent rather than watched overnight, and the emergency room list at the top of this page applies to children more readily than to adults.
We are a general and specialist practice rather than a dedicated pediatric office. If a child needs care beyond what suits our setting, we will tell you and help you get to the right place rather than attempting it.
Getting to us fast in Houston
We are at 106 W Gray Street in Midtown, a short drive from Downtown, Montrose, River Oaks, the Museum District, EaDo, the Heights and the Texas Medical Center, with parking on site so you are not circling the block while your tooth throbs.
Call before you drive in. It lets us prepare, and if what you describe belongs in an emergency room we would rather tell you that on the phone than after you have parked.
Monday to Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 9 to 3.
Call (713) 322-7474 or book online. More on tooth extraction, root canal cost and what a dead or darkening tooth means.
Treatments & pricing
Severe tooth pain
Most often a root infection or cracked tooth. We diagnose with CBCT and treat the same visit when possible.
Knocked-out tooth
Time matters. Put the tooth in milk and call us. Re-implantation within 1 hour has the best outcome.
Swelling or abscess
Facial swelling is urgent. We'll drain the infection, start antibiotics, and plan definitive treatment.
Broken / lost filling or crown
Same-day temporary placement. Lab-fabricated permanent follow-up.
Emergency tooth extraction
A tooth too damaged or infected to save is removed same-day by our oral surgeons, with sedation options.
Emergency root canal
Severe tooth pain from an infected nerve treated same-day by our endodontists - the tooth is saved, the pain stops.
Prices are estimates for self-pay patients before insurance. What your own plan contributes depends on the policy, and we verify it with your insurer before treatment. Financing available - most patients qualify in minutes via Cherry or Sunbit.
Need help at night or on the weekend?
If you're dealing with a dental emergency outside our Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM hours (a knocked-out tooth, severe swelling, or uncontrolled bleeding), we have a step-by-step first-aid guide plus the on-call line.
Frequently asked
When should I go to an emergency room instead of a dentist?
Go to a hospital emergency room, or call 911, if swelling is spreading toward your eye or down into your neck, if you have any difficulty breathing or swallowing or a change in your voice, if swelling comes with fever or chills, if you cannot open your mouth more than about an inch, or if you have facial trauma or bleeding that will not stop with fifteen minutes of firm pressure. A dental infection that has spread into the face or neck is a medical emergency.
Are you a 24 hour emergency dentist?
No. We are open Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 9 to 3, and we hold same-day emergency slots on those days. For overnight pain, ibuprofen and acetaminophen together at label doses help most people more than either alone, and sleeping propped up reduces the throbbing. For spreading swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or fever with facial swelling, go to an emergency room at any hour rather than waiting for a dental appointment.
What counts as a dental emergency?
Pain that keeps you awake or does not respond to over-the-counter relief, swelling of the gum, cheek or jaw, a knocked-out or displaced tooth, a broken tooth with an exposed nerve, and dental abscesses are all same-day problems. A lost filling or crown without pain, or a chip that is not sharp, can usually wait a few days. If you are unsure, call and describe it. Working that out on the phone is free.
How quickly can I be seen?
Call (713) 322-7474 before noon and we can almost always see you the same day. We hold emergency slots every weekday and Saturday runs 9 to 3, so a Friday evening problem does not have to wait until Monday. For severe pain or swelling we prioritize same-day even after the schedule has filled. Describe what is happening when you call rather than just asking for an appointment.
Are you open weekends?
Saturday, 9 to 3, with emergency slots held. We are closed Sunday. Weekday hours are Monday to Friday 9 to 5. Saturday cover is the reason a problem that starts on Friday evening does not have to wait until Monday morning, which is when most dental pain becomes unbearable.
What do I do with a knocked-out tooth?
For an adult tooth, pick it up by the crown and never the root, rinse it briefly in milk or saline if dirty without scrubbing, and put it back in the socket if you can, biting gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk or your own saliva and do not let it dry. Replanting within the first hour has a far better outlook than at hour three. A knocked-out baby tooth should not be put back.
Can I get an emergency root canal in Houston?
Yes, and it is performed here by endodontists rather than referred out. An emergency root canal starts at $1,200. In an acute situation the first appointment is often about relieving pressure and pain, with the canal system completed at a follow-up once the infection has settled, because working through an active infection is less effective and more uncomfortable.
Do you do emergency tooth extractions?
Yes, performed by our oral and maxillofacial surgeons. An emergency extraction is $290, with IV sedation available at $1,500 if you would rather not be present for it. If a tooth cannot be restored, removing it is the right answer rather than a failure, and we will tell you plainly which situation you are in. The cost is given in writing before treatment starts.
What if I have no insurance?
Cherry, Affirm and Sunbit spread the balance into monthly payments and applying takes a few minutes without a hard credit check. Our in-house membership plan is $199 a year and covers exams, cleanings and X rays with 15% off other procedures, though it is not insurance. You get the price in writing before treatment begins either way, which matters most when you are in pain and would agree to almost anything.
Related specialties
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