Your guide to dental pain treatment

Dental pain is very common and can have a huge effect on your quality of life, potentially disrupting your eating and sleeping. It might be due to infections, tooth decay, gum disease, or even sinus inflammation. The pain can manifest in different ways, including:

• throbbing pain around your tooth or in your gums
• a sharp pain when you bite down
• aching in your tooth
• painful sensitivity when you eat or drink something hot or cold

You might also notice a fever, which can be due to dental issues.

It’s important to treat dental pain when you notice it, as it might worsen with time if you ignore it. It could also be a sign of something serious. Treatments often include over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications, alongside dental treatments or surgery if necessary.

A dentist can usually help with tooth pain, but other healthcare professionals may also be useful.

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What causes dental pain?

There are many reasons you might be experiencing dental pain, and each will have its own treatment method:

• Tooth decay: If your toothbrushing isn’t effective, a substance of food particles and bacteria called plaque can build up on your teeth. This can wear down the protective layer of your teeth and cause cavities (holes in the surface of the tooth). This can irritate the nerve inside the tooth, causing sharp or dull, aching pain.
• Gum disease: Plaque can also build up on and under your gums, causing inflammation and pain. This can cause your gums and teeth to ache and can lead to infections. It usually gets worse with time without treatment.
• Damage to your teeth: Facial trauma, biting down on something hard, or even grinding your teeth can damage your teeth. This can cause inflammation or expose the sensitive inner layers of your teeth, causing pain.
• Abscesses: The above causes can cause dental pain alone but can also lead to bacterial infections called abscesses. These cause a pus-filled pocket around your tooth or gum and can cause severe pain, fever, and swelling. They can spread to other parts of your body without treatment.
• Sinus infections: Unlike other causes, sinus infections aren’t directly related to your teeth or gums. Your sinuses are the air pockets in your face, and an infection can cause pain and swelling. This pain can radiate into your jaw and feel like your teeth are hurting. It’ll usually also cause symptoms like a blocked or runny nose and a sore throat.

If you think your dental pain is due to a sinus infection, consider speaking with a doctor or a pharmacist. Otherwise, it would be best to speak with a dentist, who specializes in treating problems with teeth and gums.

Medications to manage dental pain

Medical management of dental pain usually has two main goals: pain relief, and treating the underlying cause of the pain.

Pain relief

If you’re experiencing dental pain, the primary treatment is OTC pain relievers, particularly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). Experts also recommend combining these with acetaminophen (Tylenol), as the combination is more effective than using either alone.

Dentists may also recommend topical local anesthetics in some cases, such as 2% lidocaine (Lidorx), for temporary pain relief.

According to some 2024 recommendations, doctors may use opioid pain medications, such as hydrocodone (Zohydro) or oxycodone (Oxycontin), in very rare cases. However, they should be at the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible duration. They’re associated with more side effects and less pain relief than OTC pain relievers.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are only necessary if there are signs of an underlying bacterial infection. These signs include:

• fever
• pus
• swollen lymph nodes
• inability to fully open your mouth

Antibiotics for dental infections include:

• phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V)
• amoxicillin (Amoxil)
• amoxicillin metronidazole
• amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin)

Sinus infection medications

A doctor may also prescribe antibiotics if you have a bacterial sinus infection that’s causing dental pain, although viral causes are more common.

Viral sinus infections are likely to go away without prescription medications. In some cases, doctors might prescribe nasal steroids like budesonide (Benacort) and flunisolide (Aerobid). You can also try OTC decongestants like pseudoephedrine (Sudafed).

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Natural remedies for dental pain

Alongside medical management, there are some self-care strategies you can try at home to reduce pain.

One common strategy is a saltwater rinse. To do this, you can mix a small amount of table salt into a glass of warm water and use it like a mouthwash, taking care not to swallow it. According to some 2020 research, it can reduce inflammation around your teeth and gums.

Another option is to use a cold compress on the outside of your mouth where you’re feeling the pain. This can reduce inflammation and cause your blood vessels to constrict, which may reduce pain.

It’s important to maintain good oral health to help prevent dental pain and stop it from worsening. Good oral health involves the following strategies:

• brushing your teeth twice per day
• flossing daily
• limiting food and drinks that are high in sugar

It’s also important to make sure you have regular checkups with a dentist. This can help catch tooth problems in the early stages before they become serious or lead to complications like gum disease. If you have tooth pain, seek treatment right away to help avoid any complications.

Summary

Dental pain can have a huge effect on your quality of life, and it can have many causes. Cavities and tooth decay are among the most common, along with gum disease, tooth damage, and even sinus infections.

OTC pain relievers are usually the main management method for dental pain, although they won’t treat the underlying problem. Antibiotics can also help if you have a bacterial infection, such as an abscess.

If you have tooth pain, it’s important to speak with a dentist. Dentists can diagnose the cause of your pain and decide on the most appropriate treatment.

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