Toothache and headache medicine

Toothache with a headache can be eased temporarily with an appropriate pain reliever, but the dental cause still needs examination and treatment.

Pain from an inflamed pulp, ligament, gum, or jaw muscle can refer toward the temple, ear, or face. The correct medicine depends on age, pregnancy, ulcers, kidney or liver disease, anticoagulants, allergies, and other medicines, so follow the label or a clinician's advice.

Use only a product and dose suitable for your health history, and never combine products containing the same active ingredient. A dentist may examine the tooth, test the pulp, check the bite, and use imaging before treating decay, infection, a crack, or gum disease.

Arrange prompt care when pain persists, wakes you, or comes with swelling, fever, or difficulty opening the mouth. Facial swelling with swallowing or breathing difficulty is an emergency.

Ask what may be causing the referred headache, which pain-relief options fit your medical history, whether an infection is present, and what definitive treatment will remove the source.