Urgent care · Pearland, TX
Emergency Dental Care
Severe toothache, facial swelling and knocked-out teeth are not things to wait out. Call the practice as early in the day as you can — we keep appointment time aside for urgent cases.
- Call first
- Do not email
- Knocked-out tooth
- Go immediately
- Facial swelling
- Same-day attention
Swelling that is spreading needs urgent attention
Swelling around the eye or under the jaw, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or a fever alongside dental pain can indicate a spreading infection. Call the practice immediately, and if you cannot breathe or swallow properly, go to an emergency department.
What counts as urgent
Call us the same day for any of these
Severe or worsening toothache
Pain that stops you sleeping, eating or concentrating, or that is not controlled by over-the-counter analgesia.
Facial or gum swelling
Any swelling of the face or jaw, or a gum swelling that keeps returning.
A knocked-out permanent tooth
The most time-critical dental emergency there is. Keep the tooth moist in milk and travel immediately.
A broken or displaced tooth
A tooth pushed out of position, loosened, or fractured with the inner tissue exposed.
Pain after recent treatment
Increasing pain several days after a procedure, or a bite that suddenly feels wrong.
Pain that wakes you at night
Throbbing that is worse lying down usually means the pulp is inflamed.
If your injury involved a blow to the head, loss of consciousness, or a wound needing stitches, seek medical attention before dental care.
While you wait to be seen
What helps in the meantime
- Take over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the packet, unless you have been told not to.
- Use a cold compress on the outside of the face — not heat, which can worsen a swelling.
- Keep your head elevated, including when sleeping.
- Rinse gently with warm salt water.
- Do not place aspirin directly against the gum; it burns the tissue.
- Do not apply heat to a swollen face.
Common questions
Emergency FAQs
Should I go to the emergency room for a toothache?
A hospital emergency department can manage pain and prescribe antibiotics, but it is generally not equipped to treat the tooth itself, so the problem returns. Dental treatment is what resolves it. Do go to an emergency department if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling closing your eye, or a high fever.
Will antibiotics fix my tooth infection?
Antibiotics can control a spreading infection, but they do not remove the source, which is inside the tooth. Symptoms often return once the course finishes. Definitive treatment means treating or removing the tooth.
How quickly can I be seen?
Call as early in the day as possible. Urgent cases are prioritised, and knocked-out teeth are treated as immediate.
The pain suddenly stopped — am I fine now?
Not necessarily. Pain sometimes stops because the nerve inside the tooth has died, while the infection continues to spread into the bone. A tooth that hurt badly and then went quiet still needs examining.