Home remedies for sore tooth

Do not put aspirin, alcohol, clove oil, or caustic chemicals directly on the tooth or gum. Pain can come from decay, a crack, exposed dentine, inflamed pulp, or an abscess, and each needs different treatment.

A sore tooth is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The painful structure may be enamel, dentine, the pulp inside the tooth, the ligament around its root, or nearby gum tissue.

Brief sensitivity to cold can reflect exposed dentine, while lingering heat or cold pain, pain on biting, swelling, or a bad taste can indicate deeper inflammation or infection.

Brush with a soft-bristled brush and fluoride toothpaste, clean gently between the teeth, rinse with warm salt water, and avoid very hot, cold, sweet, or hard foods on that side.

Use a cold pack wrapped in cloth against the cheek for short intervals. If you use an over-the-counter pain medicine, follow its label and check with a pharmacist when you have medical conditions, take other medicines, are pregnant, or are treating a child.

Arrange dental care promptly if pain persists, returns, disrupts sleep, follows an injury, or is triggered by biting. A dentist may examine the tooth, test its response, check the bite, and take an X-ray.

Seek urgent care for facial swelling, fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, spreading redness, or inability to open the mouth normally. These signs can accompany a spreading dental infection.

Ask which tooth and structure is causing the pain, whether an X-ray or pulp test is needed, and whether the cause is decay, a crack, gum disease, or infection.

Ask whether treatment means a filling, bite adjustment, root canal treatment, extraction, or gum care, and what you should do if pain or swelling changes before the appointment.