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Toothache: First aid

Tooth decay is the most common cause of toothaches for most children and adults. Bacteria that live in your mouth thrive on the sugars and starches in the food you eat. These bacteria form a sticky plaque that clings to the surface of your teeth.

Acids produced by the bacteria in plaque can eat through the hard, white coating on the outside of your teeth known as enamel. This creates an area of decay called a cavity. The first sign of decay may be pain when you eat something sweet, very cold or very hot. Sometimes decay will show as a brown or white spot on the tooth.

Other causes of a toothache can include:

A toothache often needs some sort of treatment by your dentist.

Self-care tips

Until you can see your dentist, try these self-care tips for a toothache:

Previous advice included putting a small amount of a nonprescription pain reliever containing benzocaine directly to the irritated tooth and gum for temporary relief. But benzocaine has been linked to a rare and serious, sometimes deadly, condition called methemoglobinemia (met-hee-muh-GLO-buh-nee-mee-uh). This condition lowers the amount of oxygen that the blood can carry. So follow these guidelines:

Call your dentist or other doctor right away if you have any of the following with a toothache:

If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, go to the emergency department at a hospital.

© 1998-2024 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved.

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