Emergency dental questions, answered for Austin

Eight questions account for almost every call we take. They are written out below, each on its own page, in the order people usually need them. If you are in pain right now and would rather not read, call (512) 520-0787 and we will connect you with an Austin emergency dentist who can see you today.

Start here: is this an emergency?

What counts as a dental emergency in Austin? — the dividing line between a problem that needs a dentist tonight and one that can safely wait until Monday, symptom by symptom. Read this first if you are not sure how worried to be.

How long can you wait on a dental emergency? — a straight answer per problem, from the thirty-minute window for a knocked-out tooth to the week or two a quiet lost filling can tolerate.

It is happening right now

My tooth was knocked out — what do I do? — hold it by the crown, never the root, keep it in milk, and get to a dentist inside half an hour. The page has the full sequence, including what to do for a child's baby tooth.

Tooth pain at night in Austin — why it gets worse when you lie down, the six things that actually help until morning, and the signs that mean you should not wait.

Where should I go, and when is anyone open?

Should I go to the ER or an emergency dentist? — an Austin emergency room can treat pain and infection and will not repair the tooth. This page lists exactly which symptoms belong in each door.

Is there a 24 hour emergency dentist in Austin? — what "24 hour" really means here, how on-call coverage works overnight, and how walk-in visits go.

Is there an emergency dentist open Sunday in Austin? — weekend and holiday coverage, which problems should not wait for Monday, and how to get through a Sunday if nothing opens.

What is this going to cost?

What does an emergency dentist cost with no insurance? — real Austin ranges for the emergency exam, extractions, root canals and crowns, plus how payment plans usually work.

Answers by emergency type

If you already know what is wrong, go straight to the page for it: emergency tooth extraction, a broken or chipped tooth, same-day crowns, an emergency root canal, a dental abscess, or a lost filling or crown. All of them are listed together under emergency dental services.

Where we can get you seen

We connect people with emergency dentists across Downtown Austin, South Austin, East Austin, North Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown, Kyle, Buda, Leander, Lakeway and the rest of Travis County. On any given day the fastest appointment is the one with an open chair rather than the one nearest your house, which is why a phone call beats a search for an emergency dentist near me.

The two details that decide everything

However you reach us, two facts shape the answer: which tooth, and whether there is any swelling. Swelling changes the timeline, because an infection that is moving does not wait for office hours. Everything else — the pain, the crack, the missing crown — is a question of hours rather than minutes.

Call (512) 520-0787 and start there. If it is a 911 situation, trouble breathing or swallowing, do not call us or drive anywhere — call 911. For anything else, we will tell you honestly whether you need to move now or sleep first. You can also read more about how this service works or send us a message.