How to make a broken tooth stop hurting
Protecting a broken tooth from chewing and temperature may reduce pain, but the damage still needs dental treatment.
The short answer
A broken tooth may hurt less when protected from chewing and temperature, but the tooth still needs an examination to treat the damaged enamel, dentine, pulp, or root.
Why can a broken tooth hurt when exposed to temperature?
A fracture can expose dentine tubules or the pulp, the living tissue containing nerves and blood vessels. Pain may be triggered by cold, sweets, chewing, or release of a bite as the cracked parts move.
What can you do now to protect a painful broken tooth?
Rinse gently, avoid chewing on that side, and cover a sharp edge temporarily with orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum. Do not place aspirin or harsh chemicals on the tooth, and keep any broken fragment for the appointment.
When does pain from a broken tooth require urgent care?
Seek urgent care for facial swelling, fever, pus, trouble swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or severe pain. A dentist may use an examination, bite tests, transillumination, and radiographs before bonding, placing a crown, performing root canal treatment, or removing the tooth.
What should you ask about protecting the remaining tooth?
Ask how deep the fracture is, whether the pulp is involved, which part of the tooth can be restored, and what treatment protects the remaining tooth structure.
Frequently asked questions
Can this problem be treated without an examination?
Temporary measures may reduce discomfort, but identifying the affected tooth or tissue determines definitive care.
What information should I bring?
Describe the onset, triggers, location, changes over time, medicines, and any recent dental treatment.
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Who wrote this page
This library is published by Dental Nation, a licensed dental group practising in the United Arab Emirates. Pages are written and overseen by the same clinical team that treats patients in our clinics, and are held to a fixed editorial standard for safety and accuracy.
This page is patient education, not medical advice, and cannot replace an examination. Anything urgent — facial swelling, trauma, uncontrolled bleeding or severe pain — needs a dentist or emergency care now.