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Quick answer: For temporary relief:rinse with warm salt water, use a cold compress on the outside of the cheek for15 to 20 minutes, elevate your head when lying down, and take anover-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen if it is safefor you. Do not place aspirin directly on the gum. Any toothache lasting morethan 1 to 2 days, or with swelling or fever, needs a dentist.
A toothache can go frommanageable to unbearable in a few hours. It always starts the same way: a dulldiscomfort you notice while eating, or a sharp jolt when you drink somethingcold. By evening, it is throbbing. By night, it is keeping you awake.
Here is what actually helps inthe short term, what to avoid, and how to tell when the pain has crossed from"wait until Monday" into "call the dentist today."
These are stopgaps, not fixes.They reduce pain long enough to sleep or get through the day until you can seea dentist.
Mix a half teaspoon of salt in acup of warm (not hot) water. Rinse for 30 seconds, focusing on the painfulside. Salt water reduces bacterial load, calms inflamed tissue, and candislodge food debris trapped between teeth or in a cavity. Repeat 3 to 4 timesa day.
A cold pack or a bag of frozenpeas wrapped in a towel, held against the cheek near the painful tooth for 15to 20 minutes at a time. The cold constricts blood vessels, which reducesinflammation and numbs the area. Wait at least 20 minutes before reapplying.Skin should never be in direct contact with the cold source.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) isusually the most effective for dental pain because it reduces inflammation aswell as pain. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) works for pain but does not addressinflammation. Follow the label dosing, and only take these if they are safe foryou (some medical conditions and medications require avoiding NSAIDs).Alternating between ibuprofen and acetaminophen every 3 to 4 hours is a commonstrategy for severe pain, if approved by your physician or dentist.
Lying flat increases bloodpressure and blood flow around an inflamed tooth, which is a big reasontoothaches feel worse at night. Prop your head up with an extra pillow.
Clove oil contains eugenol, anatural anesthetic that dentists have used for over a century. Soak a smallpiece of cotton in clove oil and apply it directly to the painful tooth for 10to 15 minutes. Available at most pharmacies and health stores.
If a piece of food is trappedbetween teeth or against a cavity, removing it can eliminate the pain entirely.Floss carefully around the painful tooth. If pain sharply increases, stop andrinse instead.
• Do not place aspirin directly on the gum. Thisold home remedy causes chemical burns to soft tissue and does not treat thetooth pain. Swallow pain relievers as directed instead.
• Do not apply heat to a swollen area. Heatexpands blood vessels and increases inflammation. Cold compresses only.
• Do not ignore swelling. Facial swelling from atooth is a sign of infection that will not resolve on its own.
• Do not eat on the painful side. Chewing pressureworsens inflammation and can crack an already weakened tooth further.
• Do not take antibiotics from an old prescription. Wrongdrug, wrong dose, and using leftover antibiotics contributes to resistance.
Different pain patterns point todifferent causes. This will not replace a dentist's exam, but knowing what islikely can help you gauge urgency.
Often a cracked tooth or a loosefilling. May also be a bite that is off after a new restoration. Needs an examwithin a few days to prevent the crack from spreading.
Usually gum recession or wornenamel exposing dentin, or an early cavity. Not an emergency but should beevaluated at your next visit.
Suggests the nerve inside thetooth is inflamed. This is often the early stage of needing a rootcanal. Should be seen within a week.
Suggests significant nerveinflammation or infection. Usually needs treatment within a few days.
Suggests an abscess, which is anactive infection. Do not wait. Our post on whethera tooth abscess is an emergency explains why this cannot be delayed.Untreated dental infections can spread and become dangerous.
Could be a sinus infection,especially in the upper back teeth. Sinus pressure often mimics a toothache. Ifyou have congestion, this may be the cause. A dentist can quickly rule out adental source.
Not every toothache is anemergency, but these situations are:
• Pain that has kept you awake for more than one night
• Swelling in the gum, face, or neck
• Fever accompanying tooth pain
• A bad taste in the mouth from a specific area
• A visible bump or pimple on the gum near a painfultooth
• Pain radiating to the ear, jaw, or eye on the same side
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing (this is an ERsituation, not a dentist visit)
• A tooth knocked loose or displaced by trauma
If your symptoms fit any ofthese, contact us for emergencydentistry rather than waiting. Our guide to whatto do in a dental emergency walks through additional situations, especiallyfor trauma.
The visit typically starts witha focused exam and X-rays of the painful area. From there, the treatmentdepends on the cause:
• A cavity is filled or, if deep, treated with a crown
• An infected tooth is treated with a root canal andlater a crown
• An abscess is drained and treated with antibiotics ifinfection is spreading
• A cracked tooth is repaired, crowned, or in some casesextracted
• A tooth that cannot be saved is extracted (see ourguide to
Most first appointments focus onpain relief, even when the definitive treatment (a root canal, a crown) needs afollow-up visit. Do not put off the appointment because you are worried aboutthe full treatment happening the same day. Getting the pain stopped is thepriority.
Most toothaches are the endgameof problems that started small and were ignored. The gap between"sensitive tooth" and "emergency" is often 6 to 12 months.Two things prevent that trajectory: consistent home care (brushing twice a day,flossing daily) and regular dentalcleanings with X-rays. A small cavity found on an X-ray at a routine visitis a 30-minute filling. The same cavity six months later, once it has reachedthe nerve, is a root canal and a crown.
We provide emergencydentistry at both Apollo Beach and Riverview locations, and we save dailyappointment slots for patients in pain. Riverview patients can also see our Riverviewemergency page. If you are in pain right now, contact us and we will getyou seen as soon as possible.
The ER can provide pain relief,antibiotics, and drainage for infections. Most ERs cannot perform dentaltreatment such as fillings, root canals, or extractions, so a dentist visit isstill needed. Go to the ER for major facial trauma, difficulty breathing orswallowing, or rapidly spreading swelling. Otherwise, an emergency dentist isfaster and handles the underlying problem.
Lying down increases bloodpressure and flow around an inflamed tooth. Fewer distractions make you moreaware of the pain. Grinding during sleep can add to it. Elevate your head, usea cold compress, and take an anti-inflammatory before bed if it is safe foryou.
The pain can, yes, but usuallybecause the nerve has died, not because the problem is fixed. A tooth thatstops hurting after weeks of throbbing pain often develops an infection at theroot that only shows up months later. If your pain resolves without treatment,still get it checked.
No. Antibiotics can slow or stopinfection spread temporarily, but they do not treat the source (the toothitself). A root canal or extraction is still needed. Antibiotics without dentaltreatment usually leads to the infection returning worse.
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