For tonight
Dentemp
Keep a temporary filling kit in the cabinet
Dentemp Cap & Filling Repair patches a lost filling or holds a loose crown in place until you can see a dentist, so one small kit covers both problems.
Reviewed by a practicing dentist
Tooth hurting? Know what to do tonight.
Answer six quick questions and find out how urgent it is, what helps right now, and what the fix will likely cost.
- Run by Ryan Smith, DDS
- No sign-up
- Nothing you tap is saved
Start with what you feel
What does your tooth feel like?
The kind of pain usually points to the cause. Pick the closest one.
- Hurts when I biteCracks, high fillings, decay
- Zings with coldSensitivity or an irritated nerve
- Worse at nightWhy it throbs when you lie down
- Swollen gum or bumpSigns of an abscess
- Cracked or chippedWhat to do and how it’s fixed
- Filling fell outProtect it until the dentist
- Sore jaw in the morningGrinding and clenching
- It just hurts. Help.What to do right now
From ouch to fixed
Four steps, in the order you need them
Every guide ends by pointing you to the next step, so you never have to guess what to read.
- Step 1 · Figure out the cause
Why it hurts
What your tooth is telling you, cause by cause.
23 guides → - Step 2 · Get through tonight
Relief tonight
What helps right now, before you can see a dentist.
9 guides → - Step 3 · Fix it for less
Fix it and pay
What a dentist will do, what it costs, and how to pay less.
14 guides → - Step 4 · Stop the next one
Never again
The habits and tools that stop the next toothache.
6 guides →
The short list
What a dentist would actually tell you to get
One pick per problem, and only things worth buying. Free fixes come first in every guide.
Some links pay us a commission if you buy, at no cost to you. How that works.
For the bill
DentalPlans.com
Compare plans and check your dentist in one place
DentalPlans.com sells more than 25 plans from different networks, so you can search by zip code, see which nearby dentists take which plan, and compare before you pay.
For next time
Pro Teeth Guard
A custom night guard without the office visit
Pro Teeth Guard is run by a dental lab that also makes guards for dentists: you take impressions at home, mail them back, and get a guard made to fit your teeth.
No dental insurance? Don't pay full price.
A dental savings plan is not insurance, but it can take a real bite out of the bill, often with no waiting period.
- How the discount works, in plain English
- When a plan beats insurance, and when it doesn't
- Try the dental cost estimator
Guides
Popular guides
- Fix it and payFilling cost without insurance: composite vs amalgam, by sizeWhat a cavity filling costs without insurance: tooth-colored vs silver, front vs back teeth, how size changes the price, and ways to pay less.
- Relief tonightToothache home remedies: what works, what doesn't, and what's riskySalt water, cold packs, pain relievers, numbing gel, clove oil and old tricks like aspirin or whiskey, checked against medical sources.
- Fix it and payDental cleaning cost without insurance (and what's included)What a dental cleaning costs without insurance: a routine visit, X-rays, deep cleaning per quadrant, what's included, and ways to pay less.
- Fix it and payDentist without insurance: 7 ways to pay lessNo dental insurance? Seven ways to pay less for a dentist, from dental schools and health centers to savings plans and asking for the cash price.
- Relief tonightHow to sleep with a toothache: what actually helpsA bedtime routine for a toothache: head up, a cold pack, a pain reliever timed right, and the mistakes that keep you awake. Plus when not to wait for morning.
- Why it hurtsThrobbing tooth pain: what it means and what to doWhat throbbing tooth pain usually means, from an inflamed nerve to an abscess, what to do tonight, and how a dentist fixes it.
Why trust us
Written for patients. Checked by a dentist.
Reviewed by Ryan Smith, DDS
A dentist who owns and runs practices in the Portland, Oregon area signs off on every page, and pages say plainly when a review is still pending.
Sources you can check
Every guide lists where its facts come from: the ADA, the American Association of Endodontists, Mayo Clinic and others.
Safety before selling
Emergency signs come first on every page, free fixes come before products, and we never sell your details. How we make money.