Tooth decay (a cavity)
The most common cause. Decay eats through the enamel towards the nerve, first causing sensitivity to sweet and cold, then a lasting ache.
Tooth-coloured fillings
# Toothache
Toothache (Tooth Pain)
A toothache is pain in or around a tooth, most often caused by a cavity, an infected nerve, a cracked tooth, gum disease or a wisdom tooth coming through. A painkiller, a cold compress and warm salt-water rinses ease it for a while, but a toothache rarely goes away for good until a dentist treats the cause.
What Does a Toothache Feel Like?
The kind of pain you feel is a clue to what is wrong with the tooth. These are the most common types:
A stab of pain as you chew usually points to a cracked tooth, a deep cavity or a filling that has come loose.
A steady ache you can't quite place often comes from a cavity that is getting close to the nerve, or from gum trouble around a tooth.
Pain that pulses with your heartbeat is a sign the nerve inside the tooth is inflamed. It often flares up at night or when you lie down.
A quick twinge that fades in seconds is usually sensitivity. Pain that lasts long after the drink is gone means the nerve itself is involved.
Back teeth share nerve pathways with the ear, jaw and temple, so pain from one tooth is often felt there as an earache or headache.
A swollen gum or face, a salty or foul taste, or a temperature means an infection has formed around the tooth. This needs a dentist the same day.
The type of pain is a clue, not a diagnosis. An examination and an X-ray show which tooth is causing it and why.
Book a Free ConsultationWhat Causes a Toothache?
Almost every toothache comes from one of these six problems, and each has its own fix:
An infected nerve or abscess
When decay or a crack reaches the nerve it becomes inflamed and can die, causing throbbing pain, swelling and sometimes a pus-filled abscess.
Root canal treatmentA cracked or broken tooth
A crack lets bite pressure and cold reach the inside of the tooth, so it hurts sharply when you chew or let go.
Broken tooth guideA wisdom tooth coming through
A wisdom tooth with no room to erupt presses on the tooth in front and the gum over it can become infected, causing pain at the back of the jaw.
Wisdom tooth painGum disease
Plaque and tartar below the gum line cause swollen, bleeding gums and a dull ache, and can loosen teeth over time.
Scaling and polishingSensitive teeth
Worn enamel or receding gums expose the inner layer of the tooth, causing short, sharp pain with cold, hot or sweet food.
Teeth sensitivity guideWhy Does a Toothache Get Worse at Night?
Many people find tooth pain is at its worst when they lie down to sleep. There are three reasons:
Lying down raises the pressure
When you lie flat, more blood flows to your head. Inside an inflamed tooth there is no room to swell, so the extra pressure makes the nerve throb.
Nothing else to distract you
During the day work, talking and eating take your mind off the pain. In a quiet, dark room the same ache feels much stronger.
Grinding or clenching in your sleep
Many people grind or clench their teeth at night without knowing it, which puts extra load on a tooth that is already sore.
Pain that wakes you up usually means the nerve inside the tooth is inflamed. Take a painkiller before bed, sleep with your head raised, and book a dentist the next day.
How Can I Stop Tooth Pain at Home?
Until you can see a dentist, these steps take the edge off the pain:
- Take a painkiller such as ibuprofen or paracetamol at the dose on the pack. Never put a tablet on the gum next to the tooth, as it burns the tissue.
- Hold a cold compress or ice wrapped in a cloth against your cheek for 15 minutes at a time to numb the area and bring down swelling.
- Rinse with warm salt water: half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water, swished gently and spat out, two or three times a day.
- Dab a little clove oil on a cotton bud and hold it against the sore tooth. It numbs the area for a short time.
- Floss gently around the tooth. A piece of food stuck between teeth can cause surprising pain.
- Sleep with your head raised on an extra pillow to ease the throbbing at night.
- Chew on the other side and avoid very hot, very cold and sugary food and drinks until the tooth is treated.
These ease the pain; they don't treat the tooth. Don't take antibiotics without a dentist's advice. For which painkillers work best, see our guide to tooth pain tablets in Pakistan.
When Is a Toothache an Emergency?
Most toothaches can wait a day or two for an appointment. Some can't:
Can wait a day or two
- A mild ache that settles with a painkiller
- A short twinge with cold that fades in seconds
- Soreness from food stuck between your teeth
- Mild pain from a wisdom tooth with no swelling
See a dentist today if
- Severe pain that painkillers don’t touch
- Swelling in your gum, cheek or jaw
- A fever, a bad taste or pus around the tooth
- Pain after a fall or a blow, or with a broken tooth
Go to a hospital emergency department straight away if swelling spreads towards your eye or down your neck, or you find it hard to swallow or breathe. Book an appointment.
How Do Dentists Treat a Toothache?
The dentist first finds the tooth and the cause with an examination and an X-ray, then treats it. These are the treatments we use for toothache at DentoCorrect:
Fillings
Removing the decay and sealing the tooth with a tooth-coloured filling stops the pain from a cavity before it reaches the nerve.
Root Canal Treatment
When the nerve is inflamed or infected, it is cleaned out and sealed. This ends the pain and saves the tooth.
Tooth Extraction
A tooth that is too badly damaged to save, or a wisdom tooth with no room, is removed gently under local anaesthetic.
Teeth Scaling and Polishing
A deep clean below the gum line treats the gum disease behind a dull, aching tooth and swollen, bleeding gums.
Why Choose DentoCorrect for Toothache Treatment?
DentoCorrect is Pakistan's ISO-certified, multi-city dental clinic network with qualified dentists at every location. Here is what sets us apart:
Qualified, Registered Dentists
Experienced dentists at every DentoCorrect clinic
We Find the Cause
An examination and X-ray, not just painkillers and antibiotics
ISO-Certified Standards
Strict safety and sterilisation protocols at every clinic
We Try to Save the Tooth
Fillings and root canals first; extraction only when a tooth cannot be saved
Transparent Treatment Plans
You'll know what's needed and what it costs before we begin
Conveniently Located Across Pakistan
Lahore (Johar Town, Gulberg & DHA), Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Faisalabad, Peshawar, and Multan
# FAQ'S
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the cause. Soreness from food stuck between teeth or sensitivity after a filling settles within days. Pain from a cavity or an inflamed nerve tends to come and go for weeks and gets worse over time, until the tooth is treated.
Sometimes the pain stops, but the problem usually hasn't. A nerve that is dying can go quiet for a while before an infection or abscess forms. If a tooth has hurt for more than a day or two, have it checked even if the pain has eased.
For most adults, ibuprofen works well because it also reduces inflammation; paracetamol is the alternative if you can't take ibuprofen. Follow the dose on the pack and don't take painkillers for more than a few days without seeing a dentist.
Not without a dentist's advice. Antibiotics don't fix a cavity or an inflamed nerve, so the pain comes back once the course ends. They are only useful when an infection is spreading, with swelling or fever, and even then the tooth itself still needs treatment.
Yes. The nerves of the upper and lower back teeth share pathways with the ear, jaw and temple, so pain from one tooth is often felt there. An earache with no ear problem, on the same side as a sore tooth, is a common sign of a dental cause.
Yes. The roots of the upper back teeth sit just under the sinuses, so a blocked or infected sinus can make several upper teeth ache at once, especially when you bend forward. If the pain is in one tooth only, or in the lower teeth, a dental cause is more likely.
Paracetamol is usually considered the safer choice in pregnancy; ibuprofen is generally avoided, particularly in the third trimester. Check with your doctor before taking any medicine, and see a dentist, as treating the tooth is safe in pregnancy and better than leaving an infection.
Rinse their mouth with warm water, check for food stuck between the teeth, and give a children's paracetamol or ibuprofen syrup at the dose for their age. Book a dental visit soon, and go the same day if their face is swollen or they have a fever.
Some sensitivity to cold for a few days after a filling is normal. Pain when you bite usually means the filling is slightly high and needs a quick adjustment. Throbbing pain that keeps you awake can mean the nerve is inflamed and should be checked.
Toothache is called dant dard (دانت درد) in Urdu, and its treatment is often searched as dant dard ka ilaj. Dentists may call it odontalgia.