How can I relieve toothache at home?
To relieve toothache at home, take an over-the-counter painkiller exactly as the label or a pharmacist advises, rinse with warm salt water, hold a cold compress against the cheek if there is swelling, eat soft food on the other side and avoid very hot, cold or sweet food. Never put aspirin on the gum. These measures only buy time; at Creative Arts in Dubai we advise seeing a dentist if toothache lasts more than two days.
Who treats you here Dr. Duaa Ameen General Dentist · Dr. Julia General Dentist · Dr. Marina Antoniuk Dentist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
Why do home remedies only buy time?
Most toothache comes from inside the tooth or around its root: decay that has reached the nerve, a crack, an infection at the root tip, or a gum infection. Nothing you put on the outside of the tooth can reach those causes. What home measures can do is reduce inflammation, calm the nerve endings and keep the area clean, which often makes the pain manageable until a dentist can treat the source.
That is why the most important rule of home care is to know when to stop. NHS guidance advises seeing a dentist for toothache that lasts more than two days or is not controlled by painkillers. If you want to understand what your particular pain might mean, our page on toothache causes and treatment explains the different patterns.
Use the time well. Note what sets the pain off (cold, heat, sweet food, biting or nothing at all), how long each episode lasts, whether it wakes you, and which painkiller you took and when. These details help the dentist find the cause quickly, and they show you whether the pain is settling or building.
Toothache home remedies: which ones work?
A practical summary for adults. Children and pregnant women need extra care, covered further down.
| Remedy | Does it help? | How to use it safely |
|---|---|---|
| Over-the-counter painkiller | Yes, the most effective option | Swallow it as directed on the label; ask a pharmacist which suits your health and other medicines |
| Warm salt-water rinse | Yes, for cleaning and soothing | Half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water; swish and spit, do not swallow; adults only |
| Cold compress | Yes, for swelling and throbbing | Wrap ice or a cold pack in a cloth; hold on the cheek for about 15 minutes, then take a break |
| Pain-relieving mouth gel | Short relief for some | Use one sold for adults, as directed; not for babies or young children unless a pharmacist advises |
| Clove oil | May numb briefly | A tiny amount on cotton touched to the tooth, not the gum; stop if it stings |
| Head raised at night | Yes, for throbbing | An extra pillow reduces blood flow to the head |
| Soft food, other side | Yes | Avoid biting on the sore tooth and very hot, cold or sugary food |
| Garlic, onion, alcohol on the tooth | No reliable benefit | Raw garlic and spirits can irritate or burn the gum; best avoided |
Home care controls symptoms only. Book a dental check if the pain lasts more than two days.
Which painkillers are safe for toothache?
The NHS lists ibuprofen and paracetamol as the usual over-the-counter choices for toothache, and says children under 16 should not take aspirin. Which one suits you depends on your health, so if you are unsure, a pharmacist is the right person to ask. A few safety points are often missed:
- Follow the label exactly. Taking more than the stated amount, or doses closer together, does not relieve dental pain faster and can cause harm.
- Check combination products. Cold and flu remedies often already contain paracetamol, so taking them alongside a painkiller can double the dose without you realising.
- Some people should not take ibuprofen without advice, for example those with stomach ulcers, certain kidney or heart conditions, some types of asthma, or in later pregnancy. Ask a pharmacist or doctor.
- Swallow, do not place. Tablets work through the bloodstream, not by contact with the tooth.
If you are pregnant, our guide to toothache during pregnancy covers what is generally considered safe and why dental treatment should not be put off.
Does clove oil work for toothache?
Clove oil contains eugenol, a substance with mild numbing and antiseptic properties. Dentists use it in some temporary dressings, for example in a dry socket. At home it may numb a sensitive tooth for a short time, but it is not a treatment and it is easy to misuse.
If you try it, put one drop on a small piece of cotton wool and touch it to the tooth itself, keeping it off the gum, lips and tongue. Do not swallow it, do not pour it into a cavity and do not use it repeatedly over many days. Undiluted clove oil can irritate or burn soft tissue, and it is not suitable for young children. If it stings, rinse with water and stop.
What makes toothache worse?
These are common tips and habits that tend to backfire.
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| An aspirin tablet held against the gum | Aspirin is acidic and can cause a painful chemical burn of the gum, while doing nothing for the tooth |
| Heat on a swollen face | A hot pack can increase swelling and draw an infection outwards; use cold instead |
| Leftover or borrowed antibiotics | They do not relieve pain from an inflamed nerve, may be the wrong type and can hide a spreading infection |
| Squeezing or pricking a gum swelling | This can push infection deeper and cause bleeding; a dentist drains it safely |
| Smoking and shisha | They irritate the gum, reduce healing and can make some dental problems worse |
| Very hot, cold or sugary food and drink | These trigger pain in a tooth with an exposed or inflamed nerve |
| Waiting because the pain stopped | Pain can stop when the nerve dies while the infection continues |
Why disappearing pain is not good news is explained in toothache that stopped suddenly.
Stop home care and get help if…
the toothache lasts more than two days; painkillers taken as directed do not control it; you have a fever, a bad taste or swollen gums; the tooth hurts when you bite; or your cheek or jaw swells. Go to a hospital emergency department straight away if swelling spreads towards the eye or neck, or makes it hard to breathe, swallow or speak. Creative Arts is open daily, 10:00 to 20:00, and is not a 24-hour clinic.
Toothache that home remedies are not controlling? See how urgent dental appointments work at Creative Arts in Jumeirah, open every day from 10:00 to 20:00.
Emergency dental careToothache relief for children
Children need a slightly different approach. Salt-water rinses are not advised for young children, who may swallow them. Pain relief must be a children's product given exactly as the label or a pharmacist says for their age and weight, and aspirin should not be given to anyone under 16. A cold compress and soft food help at any age. In babies, gum discomfort is often teething rather than toothache; our teething guide explains the difference. For older children, see child toothache for causes and when to bring them in.
What happens when you see the dentist?
The dentist asks where and when it hurts, examines the tooth and gums, and usually takes an X-ray. Simple tests, such as tapping the tooth, a cold test and a bite test, show whether the nerve is inflamed, has died or is healthy, and whether the pain comes from the tooth, the gum or somewhere else. If the pain is mainly on chewing, our page on tooth pain when biting describes the likely causes.
Treatment depends on the cause: a filling for decay, root canal treatment for an inflamed or infected nerve, drainage for an abscess, gum treatment, or occasionally an extraction. You are told the options, including what happens if you wait, before anything starts. If your toothache starts at night, our guide to a dental emergency at night in Dubai explains what can wait for the morning.