Pain relief for toothache please

October 2, 2013 8:50 PM

Help me manage this toothache pain while I scout about for a dentist I can afford.

My tooth suddenly started hurting a few days ago. Its a dull ache and is causing additional pain in my jaw and neck and temple--I'm guessing it's because I'm tensing up all day due to the pain. It's a left molar tooth and as far as I can see, there's no swelling, redness and no visible cavity (although I am aware that a lot of times, these things aren't easy to spot).

I've been taking ibuprofen since last night. I took 6 200mg tablets spread across most of today. It's now 11.50 pm and the last dose of ibuprofen I took was 2 x 200mg at around 4.00pm. To be honest, the ibuprofen has helped very minimally--it was just enough to get my mind off the pain so I could work at my job.


I was wondering what I can do in terms of more effective pain relief. I have some Alleve. Should I take that? Is it ok to mix or is that not really a worry because all the ibuprofen would be out of my system by now? I tried a bit of Anbesol gel, but it seems to wear off pretty quickly, after just about 15-20 min. Perhaps I didn't use enough? Even when I applied it, it didn't do much to relieve the pain.

I know I need to get to a dentist soon, but I have to find one first and figure out how to pay for it (No insurance for the past 3 years...). In the meantime, I just want to be able to do something about this pain. It's making the side of my face hurt, giving me a pretty bad headache and is distracting me from my work.

Thank you for your time and help and have a great day.

posted by joyeuxamelie to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

My dentist told me to use 4 x 200 mg ibuprofen to manage tooth pain when needed. He said to take that dose "occasionally" but I have been known to take it once in the morning and once at night and so far I haven't died. I don't take anything else, usually.

You can also gargle or rinse with some cheap whiskey or scotch as needed (Don't swallow it, obviously). Tastes terrible but pretty effective.

Def get to the dentist as soon as you can- ask about discounts and payment plans. If you are feeling the pain in your jaw, you might be courting an infection and those will cost you more (financially and pain-wise) than a filling or root canal. Also, the relief you will feel when you are out of pain is PRICELESS. I speak from experience!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 8:58 PM on October 2, 2013

Chew on cloves, they numb your mouth.
posted by mai at 9:10 PM on October 2, 2013 [3 favorites]

Also, I recommend alternating Advil and aleve or Tylenol.
posted by mai at 9:12 PM on October 2, 2013

Is it possible something is stuck between the tooth and gum? Did you eat popcorn recently?
posted by Dansaman at 9:17 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

In my experience, Tylenol does not do much for a toothache since it isn't an anti-inflammatory. If you alternate, alternate with Aleve!
posted by Snarl Furillo at 9:17 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have also heard the clove thing. Either chew on one, or jam a whole clove into your tooth, if you can find a way.
posted by Salamander at 9:18 PM on October 2, 2013

Dip a q-tip into some whiskey. Rub in the affected area. Numbs the pain. Wash rinse repeat.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:22 PM on October 2, 2013

If you have any antibiotic, reduce it to powder and apply directly to the tooth.
posted by JohnR at 9:38 PM on October 2, 2013

Go to a drugstore like Walgreens or Rite-Aid and buy a little dental repair kit - it's in the same section as the dental floss. It has a little bottle of a clay-like substance and a small orange stick for an application tool (I just use my fingers - it works better). Tear off a ball of clay and roll it around in your fingers until it's flexible and soft and then apply it over your tooth. If you can figure out what part of the tooth is the source of the pain, that's nice - you can use just enough clay to cover that part. Press the clay onto the tooth and then close your mouth and be quiet for awhile and let the thpit in your mouth work with the clay to harden it up. You'll carefully remove little bits of clay that fall under your tongue, but once the patch has hardened up - in a couple of hours, maybe - you can eat and drink and talk and the pain should be GONE! Wow!

If you eat on the other side and are a little bit careful, the patch can last as long as a week or two! Or you may knock it off and have to replace it within a day or so, but even so, it's cheap and easy and it works very well until you can find a dentist. I've had to go a month or two before seeing a dentist and this stuff works miracles.
posted by aryma at 10:01 PM on October 2, 2013 [2 favorites]

If your tooth is infected, the only thing that will relieve the pain is antibiotics. I had an infected tooth a few months ago, and not even more Advil than is healthy to take or Vicodin did much for the pain, but antibiotics cleared it up very quickly. An infected tooth can be quite dangerous, because the infection can spread quickly. (Of course, I don't know if your pain is from an infection, a cavity, or something else.)

Please be careful; I hear you that the cost is an issue, but getting the tooth pulled plus a prescription for generic antibiotics would probably be relatively affordable - and moreso if you can find a dental clinic.
posted by insectosaurus at 11:04 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have made a paste of ground cloves & water, then packed it on top of a sore tooth. Works well, though the flavor is pretty intense & my mouth tingled afterwards.
posted by belladonna at 5:48 AM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

You can buy oil of clove from the pharmacy. Just ask for it. It's pretty cheap. And it may help a lot!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:20 AM on October 3, 2013

At the drug store, see if you can find "Red Cross" toothache stuff. I've used it as a stop gap measure while waiting for an appt. It's very numbing, to the point where you want to be careful not to touch your cheek or tongue with it. (It's made from cloves, so the straight-up clove option is probably just as good, though.)
posted by ninekinds at 7:23 AM on October 3, 2013

A drop of clove oil on the sore tooth helps, as sometimes does the stuff they use for teething babies. Take 2 Tylenol + 2 Ibuprofen. They both work differently so isn't as dangerous as taking large doses of just one sort. Told to me by a doctor but I am not a doctor.

Gargle salty water a lot in case it's an infection it might help clear it up a little and help with the pain. Cold has analgesic properties so an ice pack on the outside of your face may help.

Get to a dentist as soon as you can, talk to them about your situation, some offer payment plans/credit.
posted by wwax at 7:53 AM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

If you have any antibiotic, reduce it to powder and apply directly to the tooth.

Do NOT do this. that is absolutely not how antibiotics work, and destroying the natural flora in your oral cavity will only open you up to candida or something else nasty. do not crush aspirin tablets either, they cause a chemical burn that is painful and hard to heal.

Moderate doses of ibuprofen or naprosyn (aleve) will help. stay away from any stimulus that makes the pain worse (if your tooth doesn't like cold stay away from cold etc).

Get to a dentist asap and at least have a diagnosis, so you know what to do next even if you can't afford treatment right away.
losing productivity because of being sick can be as expensive as the treatment, so go sooner rather than allowing yourself to get sicker.
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:04 AM on October 3, 2013 [4 favorites]

Call around to dentists, if you explain that you're paying cash, many will work with you on rates and a payment schedule.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:46 AM on October 3, 2013

Gargle very salty water at the hottest water temperature you can bear. This got me through some unbearable wisdom tooth pain when I was in Australia and no where near a dentist!
posted by JenThePro at 8:50 AM on October 3, 2013

I found that taking fish oil capsules and also taking a swig of hydrogen peroxide and then letting it sit over the tooth as long as you can stand it, really helps (don't swallow the hydrogen peroxide!) I also use clove oil when it is really bad.

Don't run from the pain - go into it. Read recently about a study that if you try to get away from the pain or try to mentally block it, it makes it worse.

Of over the counter painkillers, the only one that works for tooth pain for me is ibuprofen. But you have to be really careful that you don't take it on an empty stomach or when you are drinking alcohol. That could damage your liver. I had a friend die recently from liver failure and the intensive care nurses told me they see more liver failure from self-prescribed over the counter pain killer abuse than from alcohol abuse.
posted by cda at 9:04 AM on October 3, 2013