Tips to reduce tooth pain
To reduce tooth pain, protect the area, use appropriate over-the-counter pain relief as directed, and arrange dental care to treat the cause.
The short answer
To reduce tooth pain, gently clean the area, avoid triggers such as very hot, cold, sweet, or hard foods, and follow medicine labels. Relief does not repair decay, a crack, inflamed pulp, or infection.
What is the direct answer?
What does this question mean?
Pain may come from exposed dentine, pulp inflammation, a cracked cusp, gum disease, or an abscess. Lingering thermal pain, spontaneous pain, and pain on biting provide useful diagnostic clues.
What can you do next?
Rinse away trapped food, brush gently, and use a cold compress outside the cheek if swollen. A dentist may test sensitivity and biting, examine the gum, and use a radiograph before a filling, crown, root canal, drainage, or extraction.
When should you seek dental care?
Seek urgent care for facial swelling, fever, pus, severe worsening pain, or swallowing or breathing difficulty. Arrange an appointment promptly if pain persists, returns, wakes you, or hurts on biting.
What should you ask the dentist?
Ask what tissue causes the pain, whether the pulp is involved, and which treatment removes the cause. Ask which warning signs require urgent help.
Frequently asked questions
Could this have more than one cause?
Yes. Several oral tissues or materials can produce similar symptoms, so examination may be needed to distinguish them.
What should I record before an appointment?
Note when it began, where it occurs, what triggers it, and any swelling, bleeding, sensitivity, discharge, or appliance change.