TL;DR: Home remedies can genuinely reduce toothache pain for a day or two, but they will not fix the underlying problem. The best evidence-based options are ibuprofen (400mg every 6 hours, if you can take it) alongside paracetamol, warm salt water rinses, clove oil dabbed on the painful tooth with a cotton bud, and a cold compress on the cheek. Avoid aspirin directly on the gum — it causes burns. See a dentist within 48 hours for anything that persists. Go to A&E or call 111 immediately if you have facial swelling, fever, or difficulty swallowing, as these are signs of a spreading dental infection that can become life-threatening.
It’s 2am. You’re lying in bed with your hand pressed against your jaw, and the pain is the kind of pain that makes it impossible to think about anything else. Your dentist doesn’t open until Monday. And in the meantime, you just need this to stop for long enough to get some sleep.
Welcome to one of the most universally miserable human experiences. Toothache is, by almost any measure, one of the worst forms of acute pain — it’s relentless, it doesn’t respond to distraction, and the location (an enclosed nerve chamber under hard tissue) makes it nearly impossible for pain medication to reach effectively.
Let me be honest about what this guide can and can’t do. Home remedies can take the edge off. They cannot fix a cavity, clear an abscess, drain an infection, or repair damaged nerve tissue. The goal of everything below is to get you comfortable enough to function until you can see a dentist — which the NHS recommends you do within two days, at most. Anything that delays seeing a dentist is actively making things worse, and some dental problems can become medical emergencies shockingly fast. This guide includes the red flags you should not ignore.
Why Your Tooth Hurts — The Basics
Understanding what’s causing the pain helps you pick the right temporary fix.
Tooth decay (cavities). The most common cause. Bacteria erode the enamel of the tooth and eventually reach the softer dentine underneath. Pain starts as sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods and escalates to constant throbbing as the decay approaches the pulp (the nerve chamber inside the tooth).
Pulpitis. Inflammation of the dental pulp — the soft inner tissue containing the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels. Usually caused by advanced decay reaching the pulp, trauma to the tooth, or a failed filling. Reversible pulpitis produces sharp, brief pain in response to stimuli. Irreversible pulpitis produces constant, severe, throbbing pain that may wake you at night. Requires a root canal or extraction.
Dental abscess. A pocket of pus at the tip of the tooth root or in the gum, caused by bacterial infection. Severe, throbbing, constant pain, often with localised swelling. This is a medical issue — untreated abscesses can spread into the jaw, face, or bloodstream. See below for red flag signs.
Cracked or broken tooth. A crack, often invisible, that exposes the inner tooth to pressure and temperature. Pain is usually brief and sharp, triggered by biting or chewing on the affected side.
Gum disease (periodontitis). Inflamed or receding gums, often with bleeding. Usually causes a dull, persistent ache rather than sharp pain.
Wisdom teeth. Impacted or erupting wisdom teeth can cause pain at the back of the jaw, sometimes with gum swelling and bad breath.
Sinusitis. The roots of upper back teeth sit close to the maxillary sinus. A sinus infection can cause referred pain that feels exactly like toothache in those teeth.
Most home remedies work across these causes, but some (particularly abscesses) need professional care urgently, not just home management.
The Red Flags — When to Stop Reading and Get Help Now
Before any home remedy, check yourself against these signs. If any of them apply, you need urgent care, not a DIY fix.
Red Flags: When Toothache Is an Emergency
Facial swelling — your cheek, jaw, or the side of your face is visibly swollen. This means infection is spreading beyond the tooth and needs antibiotics. Swelling under your jaw or on your neck. This can indicate a spreading infection that risks your airway. Difficulty swallowing, breathing, or opening your mouth. Potentially airway-threatening. Call 999 or go to A&E immediately.
Fever. Temperature above 38°C alongside toothache indicates systemic infection. Feeling generally unwell, shivery, or confused. Signs of sepsis — go to A&E. Severe, unrelenting pain that isn’t responding to maximum over-the-counter pain relief. Visible pus or foul taste in the mouth.
For all of the above, do not wait for a normal dental appointment. Call NHS 111 to get through to the emergency dental service, or go straight to A&E. Facial infections from dental abscesses have killed previously healthy adults in the UK within days when untreated. Take this seriously.
For ordinary throbbing toothache without those red flags, home management to tide you over is fine. Book a dentist for the earliest possible appointment.
The Best Home Remedies That Actually Work
Here are the ones with decent evidence or dental endorsement. I’ve grouped them roughly in order of effectiveness.
Ibuprofen + Paracetamol Combination
The Foundation
The single most effective home pain management for toothache, full stop. Ibuprofen 400mg (if you can take it — check for contraindications like stomach ulcers, kidney problems, or asthma) every 6 hours, taken alternately or together with paracetamol 1g every 4-6 hours. Research on dental pain consistently shows this combination outperforms any single analgesic, including many prescription painkillers. Don’t exceed the daily maximums: 2,400mg ibuprofen and 4g paracetamol in 24 hours. This is your foundation. Everything else is a supplement.
Salt Water Rinse
The NHS Standard
Mix half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm (not hot) water. Swish gently around the affected tooth for 30 seconds, then spit out. Repeat every few hours. Salt water reduces inflammation, helps flush out food debris, and creates a mildly hostile environment for bacteria. The NHS recommends this specifically. It won’t stop severe pain but it helps the overall situation.
Cold Compress on the Cheek
For Swelling and Numbing
An ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel, pressed against the outside of your cheek over the painful area for 15-20 minutes at a time. Reduces swelling and numbs the nerve endings slightly. Particularly helpful for pain from trauma, recent dental work, or swelling. Not applied directly to the tooth — always on the outside of the cheek.
Clove Oil
The Proven Topical Anaesthetic
The active ingredient in clove oil is eugenol, a genuine topical anaesthetic and antibacterial. Dentists have used it professionally for over a century (it’s a component of Eugenol cement, used as a temporary filling material). For home use: dilute 2-3 drops of clove oil in a teaspoon of carrier oil (olive or coconut). Soak a cotton bud, apply directly to the painful tooth, and leave for a few minutes. It tastes medicinal and burns slightly, but the numbing effect is real and starts within 10 minutes. Reapply every 2-3 hours if needed. Do not swallow the oil; spit out any excess. Available at Boots, Holland & Barrett, and most UK pharmacies for around £4-6. Avoid in children under 12 and in pregnancy.
Whole Clove Between the Gum and Tooth
The Spice Rack Alternative
If you don’t have clove oil, a single dried whole clove from the spice rack works similarly. Place it against the painful tooth, gently bite down, let your saliva release the eugenol. Keep in place for 10-20 minutes. Popular in South Asian and African home medicine traditions, and there’s a legitimate pharmacological basis.
Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse
The Antibacterial Rinse
3% hydrogen peroxide mixed 50/50 with water, swished around the mouth for 30 seconds and spat out. Kills bacteria, can help reduce pain from infected gums or early abscesses. Important: do not swallow, don’t use in children, don’t use more than twice daily, and don’t rely on it to "treat" an abscess — it won’t. Available at Boots in brown bottles. Mouthwash like Corsodyl (chlorhexidine) is a gentler alternative.
Orajel / Anbesol (Benzocaine)
Pharmacy Numbing Gel
OTC dental numbing gels from any UK pharmacy. Benzocaine is a local anaesthetic that numbs the gum and tooth briefly. Apply a small amount directly to the painful area with a clean fingertip or cotton bud. Effect lasts 15-30 minutes. Useful if you need to eat or sleep. Not for children under two.
Peppermint Tea Bag (Cooled)
The Gentlest Option
Brew a peppermint tea bag in hot water, let it cool, then hold the damp tea bag against the affected area for 5-10 minutes. The menthol has mild numbing and anti-inflammatory effects. Gentlest of the remedies on this list — nice for children (over 6) or anyone who can’t tolerate stronger options.
What Not to Do
Some home remedies actively harm.
Aspirin directly on the gum. People do this, and it causes chemical burns to the oral tissues — aspirin is acidic. If you want to take aspirin, swallow it. Don’t put it on your tooth.
Hot compresses for swelling. Heat increases blood flow to infected tissue and can worsen infection. Cold is the rule for swelling, even though it may feel counterintuitive.
Whisky on the gum. A folk remedy that doesn’t work. Alcohol provides brief numbing but irritates the tissues and does nothing for the underlying cause.
Poking at the tooth with anything. Don’t try to "drain" an abscess or dig out debris with a pin or needle. You’ll drive bacteria deeper and potentially cause serious infection.
Ignoring it and hoping it goes away. Teeth don’t heal themselves. A problem that stops hurting often means the nerve has died — not that the underlying damage has gone away. Dead teeth become infected and abscessed over time. Even "resolved" toothache needs a dental check.
Delaying because you can’t afford a dentist. NHS emergency dental appointments exist specifically for this. Call 111 to be triaged. If you genuinely can’t afford private care, community dental services and university dental schools offer lower-cost treatment.
Getting Seen by a Dentist in the UK
Here’s how NHS dental care works for emergencies, because plenty of people in the UK don’t have a regular NHS dentist and don’t know where to start.
If you have a regular NHS dentist. Call them first thing in the morning and say you have a dental emergency. Most practices reserve a few emergency slots daily. If they can’t see you the same day, they’ll signpost you to another service.
If you don’t have a regular NHS dentist. Call NHS 111. They will assess you over the phone and direct you to an NHS emergency dental service or out-of-hours clinic. There is an emergency dental service in every region of England.
Private dental clinics. Most offer same-day or next-day emergency appointments, typically £80-150 for an examination plus treatment cost. Expensive but fast.
University dental schools. Places like King’s College London, Bristol, Manchester, and Cardiff dental schools offer low-cost treatment through student clinics (supervised by qualified dentists). Waiting lists can be long but for long-term affordable care it’s an option.
Dental hospitals. Larger cities have dedicated NHS dental hospitals (Royal London, Birmingham, Guy’s) that accept referrals for urgent or complex cases.
If you wake up in the night with unbearable pain and can’t wait until morning, NHS 111 has an out-of-hours dental advice line and can arrange urgent appointments for genuine emergencies at any hour.
What a Dentist Will Actually Do
Knowing what to expect might help you stop putting off the appointment.
For a cavity: cleaning out the decay and filling the tooth with composite or amalgam. One appointment, local anaesthetic, usually painless. Cost on NHS Band 2: £73.50 (2024 prices).
For pulpitis or an infected root: either a root canal (cleaning out the nerve chamber and sealing it) or extraction. Root canals have a bad reputation but modern ones are mostly painless and preserve the tooth. NHS Band 3: £319.10.
For an abscess: drainage plus antibiotics (usually amoxicillin for 5 days) and often a root canal or extraction once the acute infection has settled.
For a cracked tooth: a crown or inlay, depending on severity. Sometimes a root canal too.
None of this is worse than the toothache you’re dealing with now. Seriously. The only bad outcome is the one where you don’t go.
FAQs
What is the fastest home remedy for toothache?
Ibuprofen 400mg taken with paracetamol 1g is the fastest and most reliable combination for adult toothache pain. Clove oil or benzocaine gel (Orajel/Anbesol) applied directly to the painful tooth provides additional numbing within 10-15 minutes. These together will usually bring severe toothache down to manageable levels within 30-60 minutes. None of them address the underlying cause — you still need to see a dentist.
Does clove oil really work for toothache?
Yes, genuinely. Clove oil contains eugenol, a real topical anaesthetic and antibacterial compound that dentists have used professionally for over a century. Dilute with olive or coconut oil before applying to sensitive gums, and use a cotton bud to dab directly onto the painful tooth. Effect lasts 1-2 hours. Available at any UK pharmacy.
Can I put a crushed paracetamol or aspirin on my tooth?
No — and this is important. Aspirin is acidic and causes chemical burns to gum tissue when applied directly. Paracetamol doesn’t work topically; it has to be absorbed systemically to reduce pain. Always swallow painkillers for toothache — don’t apply them to the mouth or gum.
When is toothache a dental emergency?
Go to A&E or call 999 if you have: facial swelling, swelling in the jaw or neck, difficulty swallowing or breathing, fever over 38°C, or feeling systemically unwell. These are signs of spreading infection that can become life-threatening. For severe pain without those signs, call NHS 111 for out-of-hours dental services. For ordinary throbbing toothache, book a dentist within 48 hours.
How can I sleep with a toothache?
Take ibuprofen and paracetamol together about 30 minutes before bed. Prop yourself up with extra pillows — lying flat increases blood pressure in the tooth and worsens throbbing. Apply clove oil or a benzocaine gel just before lying down. A cold compress against the cheek for 15 minutes before sleep helps. Avoid hot drinks, sugary foods, and chewing on the painful side. And ring the dentist first thing in the morning.
The Final Word
Home remedies for toothache are for getting you through the night, not for curing anything. Used together — ibuprofen, salt water rinses, clove oil, and a cold compress — they can take severe pain down to tolerable levels for 24-48 hours, long enough to see a dentist.
The real message, though, is the urgency of getting seen. A painful tooth is a tooth asking for professional help, and every day you delay increases the chance of complications. If you have any of the red flags in this guide — facial swelling, fever, difficulty swallowing — skip the home remedies entirely and go straight to A&E or call 999. Most toothache isn’t that serious. But the ones that are can escalate very fast, and they’re the kind of thing you don’t want to be reading a blog post about at 3am when it’s already too late. See also jaw tension relief and bicarbonate of soda uses.
Disclaimer: This article is for temporary pain management only. Toothache always needs a dentist. For facial swelling, fever, or difficulty swallowing, go to A&E or call 999 immediately.
