Toothache home remedies: what works, what doesn't, and what's risky

What’s probably going on

A home remedy treats the pain, not the tooth. The cause is usually one of these:

• A deep cavity that has reached the softer layer under the enamel or the nerve. See throbbing tooth pain.
• A crack that hurts when you bite or let go. See cracked tooth.
• An infection at the root. See tooth abscess.
• Food wedged under the gum, or sore gums around one tooth. See gum pain around one tooth.

Remedies can calm any of these for a few hours. None of them makes a cavity, crack or infection go away. That’s the honest frame for everything below: remedies buy time, and a dentist fixes the cause.

What to do tonight

These have the best support from medical and dental sources.

1. Rinse with warm salt water. Cleveland Clinic suggests half a teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. Swish for 30 seconds, then spit. Cleveland Clinic says it can reduce inflammation and ease toothache pain.
2. Floss gently around the tooth. The American Dental Association’s advice for a toothache is to rinse with warm water and floss out any trapped food. A stuck seed can ache like a bad tooth.
3. Hold something cold on your cheek. Wrap ice or a bag of frozen vegetables in a clean towel and hold it on the outside of your jaw. Cleveland Clinic suggests about 20 minutes at a time, several times a day.
4. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever as the label directs. For adults and teens 12 and up, the ADA’s guideline puts anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen first, alone or combined with acetaminophen. Ask a pharmacist first if you take other medicines, are pregnant, or have stomach, kidney or bleeding problems.
5. Try a numbing gel if you need a little more. A benzocaine gel on a swab can numb the gum for a short while. Use it as the label directs. Cleveland Clinic says not to use it for mouth pain in children younger than 2, because it can cause a rare but serious blood condition.
6. Patch a lost filling. A temporary filling from the pharmacy can cover the hole overnight. See lost a filling.

If the pain keeps you awake, see how to sleep with a toothache.

What not to do

• Don’t put aspirin on the tooth or gum. The ADA’s toothache advice says not to. Separately, aspirin held against the gum can burn it, and it doesn’t help the tooth.
• Don’t use heat on a swollen face. Cold on the cheek is fine. Heat is not.
• Don’t take more pain reliever than the label allows, or stack two products with the same ingredient.
• Don’t take leftover antibiotics. They don’t fix the tooth. Only a dentist or doctor should decide whether you need them.

The remedies with weaker evidence or real risks

Clove oil

Clove oil contains eugenol, a natural numbing chemical, and it’s the most famous toothache remedy. Cleveland Clinic cites an older study in which a homemade clove gel numbed gums about as well as benzocaine before dental work. It also says there isn’t enough evidence to support eugenol for medical use.

The risks are real. A physician quoted by Cleveland Clinic warns that clove oil “may cause burning and inflame your gums,” and advises against putting it directly on them. Swallowed clove oil can be toxic, and children who swallow even small amounts are at risk of liver damage and seizures. Eugenol also affects blood clotting, which matters if you take a blood thinner.

We don’t recommend or sell clove oil. The remedies above do the same job with less risk.

Hydrogen peroxide rinse

Cleveland Clinic lists a hydrogen peroxide rinse as an option, with firm rules: never rinse with it undiluted, mix it with an equal amount of water, and spit it out rather than swallowing. If that sounds like more fuss than salt water, salt water is fine.

Old tricks to skip

• Aspirin on the gum. See above. It burns the gum.
• Whiskey or other alcohol held on the tooth. None of the medical sources we checked recommends it, and it’s never for children.
• Raw garlic on the tooth. Also not recommended by any source we checked. There’s no good evidence it treats a toothache.
• A heating pad or warm compress on a swollen cheek. Use cold instead.

How a dentist fixes it, and what it costs

The fix depends on the cause, and a dentist usually needs an exam and an X-ray to tell.

• A cavity usually gets a filling. See filling cost.
• An infected or dying nerve needs a root canal, often with a crown, or the tooth comes out. See root canal cost.
• A cracked tooth often needs a crown. See crown cost.

Prices vary by tooth, treatment and where you live, so ask for a written estimate first. Without insurance, a dental savings plan (a discount membership, not insurance) can lower the price at participating dentists. If you want advice before your dentist opens, see virtual dentist visits after hours.

How to keep it from coming back

Most toothaches start as a small problem nobody noticed.

• Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, for two minutes.
• Clean between your teeth once a day.
• Cut back on sipping sugary or acidic drinks through the day.
• Keep regular checkups, so small cavities get filled before they hurt.

Keeping a few basics at home makes the next bad night easier. See build a home dental emergency kit.