Toothache: why it hurts and what to do in the meantime

In short: toothache is a sign that something needs treating (decay, an infection, an inflamed gum, a cracked tooth or a wisdom tooth). While you get to the dentist you can relieve it with a painkiller, salt-water rinses and cold on the outside, but that does not cure the cause. If there is swelling, fever or intense pain that does not ease, it is an emergency.

Why does my tooth hurt?

The pain is not the disease: it is the warning. The most frequent causes:

• Deep decay that has reached close to the nerve.
• Nerve infection, which calls for a root canal.
• Inflamed gum or periodontal disease.
• Cracked tooth (hurts when biting).
• Wisdom tooth that is pushing through or getting infected (wisdom teeth).

Each cause has its own treatment, which is why the important thing is to diagnose, not just silence the pain.

What to do while you get to the dentist

To get through the time until your appointment:

• A painkiller of the kind you usually tolerate (follow the leaflet’s instructions).
• Rinses with warm salt water, which soothe the area.
• Cold on the outside of the cheek, in spells, if there is swelling.
• Avoid very cold, hot, sweet or hard foods in that area.
• Keep your head slightly raised when sleeping, as the pain usually gets worse lying down.

⚠️ A warning: do not put aspirin or painkillers directly on the gum or the tooth. It does not relieve and can burn the tissue. Tablets are to be swallowed.

What you should NOT do

• Do not ignore it hoping it will pass. Pain that eases is sometimes not a cure, it is that the nerve “has died”… and the infection continues.
• Do not self-medicate with antibiotics you have at home: they only mask things and create resistance.
• Do not delay the visit. The sooner, the easier and cheaper the treatment.

When is it an emergency?

Seek help as soon as possible (or go to A&E) if you get:

Sign	Why
Swelling in the face or neck	Possible spreading infection
Fever	A sign of infection
Intense pain that does not ease	Needs treatment now
Abscess (lump with pus)	Active infection

These signs do not wait until Monday.

If a tooth is hurting, do not put up with it: the sooner we see it, the sooner we get it sorted. We see emergencies; here is the contact and how to book an appointment.