Toothache: What Helps Right Now and When to See a Dentist
A toothache is pain in or around a tooth, most often caused by tooth decay, although an infection, a cracked tooth, gum disease or a wisdom tooth can also be behind it, and while home care can ease the pain for a short time, a dentist needs to find and treat the cause.
Dr. Kyle Lesko
The quick version
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if a toothache comes with trouble breathing, trouble swallowing or speaking, or swelling around your eye or in your neck.
Fever, pus, red streaks or worsening swelling are signs of infection. Call your dentist, doctor or nurse advice line now, or seek immediate medical care.
While you wait, a cold pack on your cheek can ease pain and swelling, and you can ask your doctor or pharmacist whether an over-the-counter pain reliever is safe for you, then follow the label. Do not use heat.
A toothache that lasts more than 2 days or does not ease with pain relief needs a dentist to find the cause. A dental abscess will not go away on its own.
A toothache is pain in or around a tooth, most often caused by tooth decay, although an infection, a cracked tooth, gum disease or a wisdom tooth can also be behind it, and while home care can ease the pain for a short time, a dentist needs to find and treat the cause.
This guide covers what usually causes tooth pain, what you can safely do at home, which symptoms mean emergency care, and what to expect at the dentist, with every health claim linked to a public health source. Dr. Kyle Lesko and the team at TLC Family Dental Centre see patients from Leduc and the greater Edmonton area, and this is general information, not a diagnosis.
What usually causes a toothache?
According to MyHealth Alberta, the most common cause of a toothache is tooth decay, though early decay may not hurt at all. Pain can also come from gum disease, an infection in the tooth or gums (an abscess), or a broken or cracked tooth. It also notes that a heart attack or a sinus infection can cause pain felt in the teeth or jaw.
The NHS in the UK adds a loose or broken filling, a wisdom tooth without room to come in fully, problems with braces, and grinding your teeth.
MyHealth Alberta adds that moderate to severe sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet things can mean a cracked tooth, a cavity or a lost filling. Our guides to sensitive teeth and a cracked tooth go into more detail.
What can you safely do at home for toothache relief?
Home care can make you more comfortable while you wait to be seen, but it does not fix the cause. These steps come from MyHealth Alberta's tooth and gum pain care instructions and the NHS. Ask a pharmacist or doctor before taking any medicine, and follow the label.
Cold, not heat. Put an ice or cold pack on the outside of your cheek for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, with a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. MyHealth Alberta says not to use heat.
Over-the-counter pain relief. Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether one is safe for you, and follow the label.
Warm salt water. MyHealth Alberta recommends rinsing with warm salt water to help relieve pain and swelling. The NHS notes that children should not do salt water rinses in case they swallow the water.
Watch what you eat. Avoid very hot, cold or sweet foods and drinks if they make the pain worse, and chew on the other side.
Keep the area clean. The NHS suggests a soft toothbrush and not flossing around the sore tooth.
Do not smoke. MyHealth Alberta says tobacco can make gum problems worse and delay healing, and the NHS says smoking can make some dental problems worse.
MyHealth Alberta says adults can use an over-the-counter numbing gel for short-term relief, but to ask a doctor before using any mouth-numbing product on a child, because Health Canada warns some can be dangerous. The American Dental Association (US) adds: do not put aspirin on the aching tooth or gums.
When is a toothache an emergency?
A toothache becomes an emergency when infection or swelling starts to affect your breathing, swallowing or the area around your eye or neck. MyHealth Alberta says to call 911 if you have trouble breathing. The NHS and healthdirect (Australia) both say swelling around the eye or neck, or swelling that makes it hard to breathe, swallow or speak, needs emergency care.
Use this table as a general guide, not a diagnosis.
Symptom | What it can mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Trouble breathing, or swelling that makes it hard to swallow or speak | Swelling that can affect your breathing | Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department |
Swelling around your eye or in your neck | A possible spreading infection | Go to the nearest emergency department now |
Tooth or jaw pain with chest pain or pressure | Pain from the heart can feel like a toothache | Call 911 |
Fever, pus, red streaks, or swelling or redness getting worse | Signs of infection | Call your dentist, doctor or nurse advice line now, or seek immediate medical care |
A red, swollen, painful gum bump, or pain when you bite | Possible abscess | Call your dentist today |
Pain that lasts more than 2 days or does not ease with pain relief | Decay, a crack or another cause that needs a diagnosis | See a dentist as soon as possible |
Sore, swollen gum around a wisdom tooth coming in | Inflamed gum over the tooth (pericoronitis) | Call your dentist this week, sooner with swelling or fever |
Table based on MyHealth Alberta, the NHS (UK) and healthdirect (Australia), checked in November 2026.
Not sure how urgent it is? According to Primary Care Alberta, as of November 2026 Health Link 811 is a 24/7 line where registered nurses help you decide if you need urgent care. For problems that are urgent but not life-threatening, TLC offers emergency dental visits in Leduc. Urgent problems are triaged and most are seen the same week.
What does a toothache with swelling or a bad taste mean?
Swelling or a bad taste with a toothache can point to an abscess. MyHealth Alberta's abscessed tooth page describes it as a pocket of pus around a tooth from a bacterial infection, causing red, swollen gums, throbbing pain (especially when you chew), a bad taste, fever or a swollen jaw. It needs to be treated by a dental professional right away.
The NHS page on dental abscesses adds sensitivity to hot or cold, difficulty opening your mouth, swollen glands in your neck and a high temperature to the list of possible symptoms. It also says to get emergency help if you find it hard to breathe, speak, swallow or open your mouth, have a swollen or painful eye or sudden problems with your eyesight, or have a lot of swelling in your mouth. In Alberta, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
MyHealth Alberta warns that an untreated abscess can spread infection to other parts of the body. Our guides to a tooth abscess and the signs of a tooth infection cover this in more depth.
Why does a toothache get worse at night?
The health sources we checked do not give a settled reason why toothaches feel worse at night. Healthdirect, the Australian Government health service, says lying flat can sometimes make dental pain feel worse, and suggests resting with your head propped up on a pillow. A toothache that keeps you awake is also a reason to get care sooner.
MyHealth Alberta's toothache checker asks whether the pain is disrupting your sleep, and counts pain that disrupts sleep as moderate pain. Losing sleep to a toothache is a reason to call a dentist, not just to wait another night.
Can wisdom teeth cause a toothache?
Yes. MyHealth Alberta explains that a wisdom tooth can hurt when it cannot break through the gum, or when it is only partway in and extra gum tissue forms around it. That tissue can become inflamed, a condition called pericoronitis, and sometimes infected, partly because food and germs get trapped under the flap.
According to MyHealth Alberta's wisdom tooth page, wisdom teeth usually come in between 17 and 21 years old. The NHS notes that a wisdom tooth that is not causing problems is usually left in place and checked at routine visits. Read more about the wisdom teeth signs to watch for.
Can a toothache go away on its own?
Do not count on it. The NHS states plainly that a dental abscess will not go away on its own. MyHealth Alberta says prompt dental care can find the cause of a toothache and keep the tooth from dying or gum disease from getting worse, so waiting it out carries real risk.
The NHS and healthdirect both advise seeing a dentist if a toothache lasts more than 2 days or does not improve with pain relief. If the pain eases but swelling, a bad taste or a gum bump remains, book an exam.
What will the dentist do about your toothache?
Your dentist starts by finding the cause. Healthdirect explains that a dentist will ask about your dental and medical history and what makes the pain better or worse, and may take an X-ray. Treatment depends on the cause and may include a filling, a crown, root canal therapy, or removing a badly infected tooth.
For an abscess, the NHS says the dentist drains the pus, and the tooth may need root canal treatment or removal, done under local anaesthetic. As for antibiotics, the Canadian Dental Association's list of tests and treatments to question says antibiotics do not relieve the pain of an inflamed nerve and add no benefit for a localized abscess that is drained and treated. Your dentist decides whether you need them.
TLC direct bills most major Canadian insurers and is a Canadian Dental Care Plan provider. Read more about insurance for emergency dental care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I go to the emergency room for a toothache?
Go to the emergency department or call 911 if a toothache comes with trouble breathing, trouble swallowing or speaking, or swelling around your eye or in your neck. These signs are listed by MyHealth Alberta, the NHS and healthdirect. For most other toothaches, a dentist is the right place, because a dentist can treat the cause.
Is it safe to put heat on a sore tooth or swollen cheek?
No. MyHealth Alberta says to use an ice or cold pack on the outside of your cheek for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, with a thin cloth against your skin, and not to use heat. If your cheek or jaw is swelling, call your dentist, and get emergency care if the swelling spreads toward your eye or neck.
Can a toothache be something other than a tooth problem?
Yes. MyHealth Alberta notes that a heart attack, a cluster headache or a sinus infection can cause pain that is felt in the teeth or jaw, and healthdirect says pain from the heart can feel like a toothache. If tooth or jaw pain comes with chest pain or pressure, call 911 right away.
Who can I call in Alberta if I am not sure how urgent it is?
You can call Health Link at 811, which Primary Care Alberta describes as a 24/7 line where registered nurses help you decide if you need urgent care. For a dental problem that is not life-threatening, you can also call your dentist. Call 911 for anything life-threatening, such as trouble breathing.
Talk it through with Dr. Kyle Lesko in Leduc
If a toothache is keeping you up or slowly getting worse, book online or call TLC Family Dental Centre at 780.980.5115. Urgent problems are triaged and most are seen the same week, and new patients are welcome from Leduc and the greater Edmonton area. You will find us at 5209 Discovery Way #4 in Leduc, with on-site parking and a wheelchair accessible office.
Sources
Checked in November 2026. Coverage rules and recommendations change, so confirm current details with the organisations below.
Toothache and Gum Problems, MyHealth Alberta
Tooth and Gum Pain: Care Instructions, MyHealth Alberta
Abscessed Tooth: Care Instructions, MyHealth Alberta
Wisdom Tooth Extraction, MyHealth Alberta
Health Link 811, Primary Care Alberta
Dentistry List of Tests and Treatments to Question, Canadian Dental Association
Toothache, NHS (UK)
Dental abscess, NHS (UK)
Wisdom tooth removal, NHS (UK)
Toothache and gum swelling, healthdirect (Australian Government)
Dental Emergencies, American Dental Association MouthHealthy (US)
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