Is Tooth Pain Making You Wake up in the Middle of the Night? Try These 6 Quick Home Remedies

Dealing with tooth pain can be miserable, especially when it shows up at night like it has absolutely no respect for your sleep schedule.

While minor, occasional soreness may not be an emergency, severe, throbbing, lingering or worsening pain should not be ignored. Waiting too long to get dental care can turn a fixable problem into a more painful, more expensive one.

What Causes Tooth Pain?

When tooth pain strikes, it helps to know what might be going on before calling the Best Family Dentist in the area.

No one wants to wake up at 2 a.m. because one tooth has decided to become the main character. Tooth pain can range from dull and annoying to sharp, pulsing and impossible to ignore.

Common causes of tooth pain include:

• Tooth decay. Cavities are one of the most common reasons for tooth pain. Once decay reaches deeper layers of the tooth, the nerves can become irritated or exposed.
• A cracked or broken tooth. A tooth injury, even a small crack, can cause pain when chewing or when the tooth is exposed to hot, cold or sweet foods.
• Dental abscess or infection. An infection can cause swelling, pressure, throbbing pain, sensitivity and sometimes a bad taste in the mouth.
• Gum disease. Inflamed or receding gums can make teeth feel sensitive and painful.
• Tooth grinding. Clenching or grinding at night can leave the teeth, jaw and face feeling sore by morning.
• Sinus pressure. Sometimes upper tooth pain is not really a tooth problem at all, but referred pain from sinus congestion or infection.

As noted by the American Dental Association, toothaches can come from several different causes, and a dentist is the one who can determine what is actually behind the pain.

That part matters because a home remedy may calm things down for a few hours, but it will not repair a cavity, seal a crack or clear a dental abscess. Annoying, yes, but teeth are not great at fixing themselves.

6 Quick Remedies for Tooth Pain

When it is the middle of the night and tooth pain erupts, getting relief can feel impossible.

Short answer: these remedies may help you get through the night. Longer answer: they are temporary, and the dentist still needs to happen.

1. Elevate your head. Sleeping with your head slightly raised may help reduce pressure around the painful tooth. For some people, lying flat makes throbbing pain feel worse.
2. Brush and floss gently. Food stuck between teeth can trigger or worsen pain. Carefully brushing and flossing may remove trapped particles without making the area angrier.
3. Try a warm salt water rinse. Mix about 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water, swish gently and spit it out. This may help soothe irritated gums and loosen debris around the tooth.
4. Use a cold compress. Apply an ice pack wrapped in a towel to the outside of the cheek for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. This can help reduce swelling and temporarily numb the area.
5. Consider over-the-counter pain relief. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen may help reduce toothache pain, but follow the label and check with a doctor or pharmacist if you have medical conditions, take other medications or are unsure what is safe for you. Do not place aspirin directly on the gum or tooth because it can burn the tissue.
6. Use clove oil carefully. Clove oil contains eugenol, which may temporarily numb dental pain, and it is a very old-school remedy for a reason. That said, it can irritate the gums or mouth if used too much or too strong, so use only a tiny amount on a cotton swab and avoid swallowing it.

For fast at-home measures, toothache guidance often mentions cold compresses, salt water rinses and over-the-counter pain relievers as short-term options. Key phrase there: short-term.

I would also skip the internet’s more creative suggestions, like putting crushed garlic directly on the gums or using alcohol to “numb” the pain. Your mouth is already upset; no need to start a second problem.

When Tooth Pain Is an Emergency

Some toothaches can wait until the dentist opens in the morning, but some should not. This is especially true when pain comes with signs of infection or swelling.

Seek urgent dental or medical care right away if you have facial swelling, fever, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, swelling under the jaw, pus, severe pain after an injury or a tooth that has been knocked out. As the Mayo Clinic explains, a knocked-out permanent tooth has the best chance of being saved when treated quickly.

A dental abscess is another one I would not play around with. The NHS notes that dental abscesses do not go away on their own and need treatment from a dental professional.

See the Dentist Right Away

Dentists have the tools, training and X-rays to figure out whether the pain is from decay, infection, gum inflammation, a fracture or something else entirely.

Tooth decay may need a filling, crown or root canal depending on how far it has spread. Infections may require drainage, dental treatment and sometimes antibiotics, but antibiotics alone usually do not fix the source of the problem.

Home remedies can help you get through the night, but they are not a substitute for dental treatment.

That is the part I would underline twice. Pain relief is wonderful, but finding the cause is what keeps the same tooth from ruining another night.

Conclusion

Dealing with a nagging toothache in the middle of the night is no fun.

Salt water rinses, a cold compress, gentle cleaning, head elevation and appropriate over-the-counter pain medication may offer temporary relief. Clove oil may also help some people, but it should be used carefully and sparingly.

More importantly, do not let temporary relief fool you into thinking the problem is gone. Schedule a dental appointment as soon as possible so the real cause can be treated and your smile can get back to minding its own business.