What should I do about toothache during pregnancy?
Keep the area clean, rinse gently with warm salt water, use a cold compress on the cheek and avoid very hot, cold or sweet food. Take pain relief only as advised by your pharmacist or doctor; the NHS says paracetamol is usually the most suitable painkiller in pregnancy. Then see a dentist soon, because the ADA states that urgent dental problems can be treated at any stage. Creative Arts in Dubai sees dental pain daily, 10:00–20:00.
Who treats you here Dr. Duaa Ameen General Dentist · Dr. Julia General Dentist · Dr. Marina Antoniuk Dentist
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Why do teeth hurt during pregnancy?
Pregnancy does not create toothache out of nothing, but it changes several things at once. Hormones make gums react more strongly to plaque. Morning sickness brings acid into the mouth, which can expose sensitive parts of the tooth. Cravings and frequent snacks feed decay, and tiredness can make brushing less thorough. A small cavity or crack that was quiet before pregnancy may start to hurt during it.
Most toothache in pregnancy therefore has an ordinary dental cause: decay that has reached the inner part of the tooth, a cracked tooth or filling, an inflamed gum around a wisdom tooth, sensitivity from worn enamel, or an infection at the root. Pressure from congested sinuses, which is common in pregnancy, can also make upper back teeth ache. Working out which it is matters, because the right treatment is very different for each.
What kind of tooth pain is it, and how urgent is it?
A general guide to help you describe the pain. Only an examination confirms the cause.
| What you feel | Common causes | How soon to be seen |
|---|---|---|
| A short, sharp twinge with cold, sweet or brushing that stops quickly | Sensitive exposed root or worn enamel, a small cavity, gum recession | Book a routine appointment; use a sensitivity toothpaste meanwhile |
| Pain on biting on one tooth | Cracked tooth or filling, a high filling, inflamed ligament | Within a few days |
| Lingering ache after hot or cold, or throbbing pain on its own | Inflamed nerve (pulp), often from deep decay | Soon, ideally within a day or two |
| Pain that wakes you, with a bad taste, gum swelling or a pimple on the gum | Abscess or infection at the root | The same or next day |
| Sore, swollen gum behind the last tooth, painful to open | Inflamed gum around a wisdom tooth (pericoronitis) | Within a day or two; sooner if swelling spreads |
| Dull ache in several upper back teeth, worse when bending forward | Sinus congestion | See your doctor; see the dentist if one tooth stays sore |
Facial swelling with fever, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, needs a hospital emergency department straight away.
How can you ease toothache safely at home while pregnant?
These measures are gentle and can be used at any stage of pregnancy while you arrange an appointment:
- Clean the area carefully. Brush gently and use floss or an interdental brush to remove trapped food, which is a common cause of pain between teeth.
- Rinse with warm salt water. Half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, swished and spat out, soothes sore gums. Do not swallow it.
- Use a cold compress on the cheek for a few minutes at a time if there is swelling or throbbing.
- Avoid triggers. Very hot, very cold, sweet and acidic food and drink often make an inflamed tooth worse. Chew on the other side.
- Raise your head at night with an extra pillow; throbbing tooth pain often feels worse lying flat.
- For sensitivity, a sensitivity toothpaste used twice a day can help over a couple of weeks.
Avoid placing aspirin or other tablets on the gum, which can burn it, and check herbal remedies and essential oils with your pharmacist before using them in pregnancy. Our guide to toothache relief at home has more general advice.
Which painkillers are safe for toothache in pregnancy?
This is a question for your pharmacist or doctor, who know your stage of pregnancy and medical history. As general background, the NHS says that if you are pregnant, paracetamol is usually the most suitable painkiller to use, and that it is commonly taken during pregnancy. Other common painkillers, including some anti-inflammatory medicines, are not suitable at certain stages of pregnancy, so do not take them unless your doctor has advised it.
Take any medicine only as directed on the label or by your pharmacist or doctor, and do not take more because the pain is strong. If approved pain relief does not control the pain, that is a sign the tooth needs dental treatment rather than more medicine.
Antibiotics do not cure toothache. They are used when an infection is spreading, for example with facial swelling or a fever, and the dentist chooses one that suits pregnancy, in discussion with your obstetrician where needed. The source of the infection still has to be treated.
Do not wait until after the birth if a tooth is infected
The American Dental Association states that conditions needing prompt dental treatment can be managed at any time during pregnancy, and that local anaesthetics and X-rays may be used. A tooth abscess that is left can spread, cause fever and need more medicines. Treating the source early is usually the safer path for you and your baby.
What can a dentist do for toothache during pregnancy?
Treatment aims to stop the pain and remove the cause with the least intervention needed. Elective work waits until after the birth.
| Treatment | When it is used | In pregnancy |
|---|---|---|
| Examination and a targeted X-ray | To find which tooth and why | The ADA considers dental X-rays safe at any stage; only the images needed are taken |
| Filling or temporary filling | Decay or a broken filling | Done under local anaesthetic when needed; tooth-coloured materials are used |
| Starting root canal treatment | An inflamed or infected nerve | Removing the inflamed tissue usually relieves the pain quickly; the tooth can be completed later in pregnancy or after the birth |
| Draining an abscess | Swelling with pus | Relieves pressure; combined with treatment of the tooth |
| Extraction | A tooth that cannot be saved | Done under local anaesthetic, kept as short as possible |
| Cleaning around a wisdom tooth | Pericoronitis | Gentle irrigation and home-care advice; surgery is usually planned after the birth |
Your dentist will ask how many weeks pregnant you are and will keep the chair more upright and the visit shorter later in pregnancy.
Pregnant and in dental pain? Our emergency dentist service in Dubai sees urgent problems during opening hours, 10:00–20:00 every day. Tell us how many weeks pregnant you are when you call.
Urgent dental careWhen is toothache in pregnancy an emergency?
Contact the clinic the same day, during opening hours, if you have:
- throbbing pain that keeps you awake or is not controlled by the pain relief your pharmacist or doctor approved;
- swelling of the gum or face, a pimple on the gum, or a bad taste with a tender tooth, which can mean an abscess (see tooth abscess);
- a broken tooth with pain, or a tooth knocked loose;
- pain and swelling behind a wisdom tooth that makes it hard to open your mouth.
Go to a hospital emergency department straight away for facial swelling with fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading towards the eye or neck, bleeding you cannot control, or a head or face injury. Our page on a swollen face from a tooth infection explains why these signs matter. A high temperature in pregnancy also needs prompt medical advice, whatever the cause.
Once the pain is settled, a check-up and cleaning help prevent the next episode. Our guide to dental care during pregnancy explains which treatments are done now and which wait, and pregnancy gingivitis covers sore, bleeding gums.