Sudden toothache — what to do right now

First aid while you sort out an appointment

• Rinse with warm salty water to clean the area and ease irritation.
• Floss gently either side of the sore tooth in case food is trapped.
• Pain relief — take over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the packet.
• Cold compress against the cheek for swelling.
• Don’t put aspirin or heat directly on the tooth or gum — it can burn the tissue and won’t help.

These steps buy you comfort — they don’t fix the cause, so they’re a bridge to being seen, not a substitute for it.

When a toothache is urgent

Some pain can wait a day or two; some shouldn’t. Call promptly if you have:

• Severe or throbbing pain that wakes you at night or won’t settle with pain relief;
• Swelling of the gum, face or jaw, or a bad taste — possible signs of infection;
• A tooth that’s broken, or a lost filling or crown leaving it exposed.

What’s usually causing it

Toothache most often comes from decay reaching the sensitive inside of a tooth, a crack, an exposed root, or an infection or abscess. These generally don’t resolve on their own — the sooner they’re seen, the simpler they usually are to fix, and the more likely the tooth can be saved with a filling or root canal treatment rather than lost.

When to call us — and when to go to hospital

For the tooth itself, a dentist is the right place, and we keep time aside each day for dental emergencies — call as early as you can. But if you have spreading facial swelling that reaches your eye or neck, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or a serious injury, treat it as a medical emergency and call 000 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

What not to do

Don’t put aspirin or any tablet directly on the tooth or gum — it burns the tissue and doesn’t help the pain. Don’t apply heat to the outside of your face; if there’s an infection, warmth can make swelling worse, whereas a cold pack is safe. Don’t try to lance a swelling or pull at a loose tooth yourself. And don’t take more pain relief than the packet allows because the first dose hasn’t worked — if over-the-counter medication isn’t controlling it, that’s a sign you need to be seen, not a sign to take more.

What happens when you come in

An emergency appointment is about finding the cause and getting you comfortable, not doing everything at once. We’ll examine the tooth, usually take one or two X-rays, and explain what’s going on in plain terms. Often the pain can be settled on the day — by starting a root canal, placing a dressing, or removing a tooth that can’t be saved — and then a proper plan and quote is made for anything further. Emergency appointments are triaged by urgency, and we keep time aside each day so that same-day appointments are available where possible. Facial swelling, a fever, or any difficulty swallowing or breathing is not a wait-for-the-dentist situation: go to an emergency department or call 000.