Direct answer: Call (832) 476-7676. Aster Smiles in Cypress sees dental emergencies the same day — no referral, no waiting list. While you’re dialing, the guide below tells you exactly what to do to protect the tooth or manage the pain in the minutes before you arrive.
Last reviewed by Dr. Thanh Huynh, DMD, FAGD — May 2026. This article is general dental education, not personalized medical advice. Dental emergencies vary — call the office for guidance specific to your situation.
A dental emergency doesn’t wait for a convenient time. It happens at 7am, on a Saturday, mid-meeting, at a kid’s birthday party. The thirty minutes after it happens matter more than most people realize — not just for pain, but for whether the tooth can be saved at all.
Here’s what to do.
Is this actually a dental emergency?
Not every dental problem needs same-day care. Some do. The clearest signals that you should call immediately:
- A tooth was knocked out (completely out of the socket)
- A tooth is cracked and you can feel movement or sharp, escalating pain
- Severe, throbbing pain that doesn’t respond to ibuprofen
- Swelling along the jaw, under the chin, or near the eye — this can signal an abscess that is closing your airway
- A crown or bridge came off and the exposed tooth is in severe pain
- Bleeding from the mouth that won’t stop after 20 minutes of pressure
If any of those describe your situation, call now. The rest of this guide will be here when you get back.
Knocked-out tooth: the 30-minute rule
A knocked-out tooth (avulsion) is the highest-stakes dental emergency. The tooth’s ligament cells — the microscopic fibers that anchor it to bone — start dying within minutes of being out of the socket. After 30 minutes, reimplantation success rates drop sharply. After an hour, they’re close to zero.
What to do right now:
- Pick up the tooth by the crown (the white part), never the root.
- If it’s dirty, rinse it gently under cold water for 10 seconds. No scrubbing. No soap.
- If you can, push it back into the socket. It will feel uncomfortable but this is the best option — the socket keeps the ligament cells moist.
- If you can’t get it back in: tuck it between your cheek and gum, or put it in a small cup of cold whole milk. Milk contains proteins that slow cell death. Do not use water.
- Call (281) 304-1080 and tell us the tooth is fully out. We will see you immediately.
What not to do:
- Don’t wrap the tooth in a dry paper towel or tissue. This desiccates the root within minutes and the tooth is unrestorable.
- Don’t scrub the root.
- Don’t store it in tap water — the mineral content damages the cells.
Cracked or broken tooth
The severity of a crack determines urgency. Not all cracks are equal.
Call same-day if:
- You feel a sharp shock of pain when you bite on something specific
- The pain lingers for more than a few seconds after eating or drinking
- You can see the tooth has actually split or a large piece broke off exposing something dark or pinkish (pulp)
- Pain is constant and getting worse
Can wait 24–48 hours (still call, just lower urgency):
- Mild chip with no pain
- Small piece of a back tooth broke off and there’s no sensitivity
Cracked-tooth management at the office depends on how deep the fracture goes. Surface-level cracks often get bonding. Cracks into the pulp usually need a root canal and crown. Cracks that extend below the gum line may mean extraction — but we won’t know until we see the scan.
Severe toothache
Toothache that builds over days is almost always infection or pulp involvement. Two patterns that mean come in immediately:
Abscess: Constant, deep throbbing pain — often worse lying down. May be accompanied by swelling in the jaw or a visible bump on the gum near the tooth (a “pimple” on the gum is pus draining from the infection). Do not ignore jaw swelling, especially if it’s spreading toward the throat. That’s an emergency-room situation before a dental one.
Irreversible pulpitis: Pain that starts when you eat or drink something cold, but doesn’t stop when you remove the stimulus — lingers for 30 seconds, a minute, longer. That’s the pulp dying inside the tooth. The only fix is root canal therapy or extraction.
What helps temporarily while you wait:
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) at the standard adult dose every 6–8 hours. If you can alternate with acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4–6 hours, the combination is more effective than either alone.
- Clove oil (eugenol) on a cotton ball against the tooth briefly — this is a real numbing agent, not folk medicine.
- Cold compress on the outside of the cheek, 20 minutes on/off, for swelling.
These manage symptoms. They don’t treat the infection. Call us.
Lost crown or filling
Lost crown: If the crown came off and the tooth is painful, call same-day. If it came off and there’s no pain, this is urgent-but-not-emergency — call to get on the next available slot. In the meantime, Dentemp (available at CVS and HEB) is a temporary cement designed for this. Press the crown back on gently — don’t use Super Glue. It helps but it’s not a fix.
Lost filling: Same logic. Pain = same day. No pain = call soon. Exposed tooth cavities are vulnerable to fracture and bacterial invasion; leaving them open is always the worse choice.
What to expect at Aster Smiles for an emergency visit
When you call and explain you’re having a dental emergency, we block time for you. You won’t sit in the waiting room while scheduled patients cycle through ahead of you.
When you arrive:
- We take a targeted X-ray and, if needed, a CBCT scan to understand the full picture.
- Dr. Huynh walks you through exactly what he’s seeing — no jargon-dump, plain explanation.
- You get a treatment plan with options, not a single “you have to do this” recommendation.
- If the procedure involves significant work, we have IV sedation for emergency procedures. If you’re anxious or in severe pain, being numb and unaware of the procedure is often the most humane way to get through it.
We handle the most common dental emergencies in-house — extractions, root canals, crown restorations, bonding, re-cementation. The cases we refer out are the ones that genuinely require an oral surgeon (complex surgical extractions, pathology) — and when that’s the situation, we tell you clearly and call ahead.
When to go to the ER instead of a dentist
Two situations where the emergency room comes first:
- Jaw swelling is spreading toward your throat or you’re having trouble swallowing or breathing. This is Ludwig’s angina — a spreading infection that can close the airway. Call 911 or go to the ER immediately. Dental offices don’t have the IV antibiotics and airway management this requires.
- Facial trauma from an accident — if there’s concern about a jaw fracture or head injury, the ER handles that. We handle the teeth afterward.
For everything else — pain, knocked-out tooth, broken crown, abscess that hasn’t spread — what to do in a dental emergency starts with calling a dentist, not the ER. Hospital ERs can give you antibiotics and pain medication but they cannot do root canals, bond teeth, or reattach avulsed teeth.
If you had a tooth knocked out or extracted in an emergency, you may also want to read about emergency tooth loss and bone grafting — the window to protect the socket closes fast.
Frequently asked questions
Does Aster Smiles really see dental emergencies the same day? Yes. When you call and tell us you’re in pain or had an acute injury, we find time for you that day. Call (832) 476-7676 and explain what’s happening.
What if I have dental anxiety and the emergency is making it worse? We offer IV sedation for emergency procedures. Many of our most anxious patients specifically come to us because we can manage pain and anxiety at the same time. Tell us when you call — it changes how we prepare for your visit.
My tooth was knocked out and it’s been more than an hour. Is it worth coming in? Come in anyway. While reimplantation success drops after 30 minutes, it doesn’t hit zero — and even if the tooth can’t be saved, we can discuss immediate options (implant planning, temporary restoration) to protect the space and your bone.
How much does a dental emergency visit cost? The exam and X-ray have a set fee. Treatment cost depends on what we find — we give you options and an estimate before starting anything. We accept most major dental insurance and offer financing through CareCredit and Lending Club.
Can I just walk in without calling? Call first — (832) 476-7676. It takes two minutes and it means we’re ready for you when you arrive, not scrambling to fit you in between appointments.
Aster Smiles provides same-day dental care in Cypress. Dr. Thanh Huynh, DMD, FAGD. Call (281) 304-1080.
