How to Manage Your Cavity Pain

A cavity—a hole caused by tooth decay—can be uncomfortable. Cavity pain can make it difficult to eat, sleep, and focus and interfere with your daily life.

Decay destroys your tooth's hard enamel and dentin, the layer under the enamel. That leads to a hole in the tooth that exposes the nerves and leads to sensitivity and painful toothaches.

The best way to get pain relief for a hole in your tooth is to see your dentist and have the cavity filled. In the meantime, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, avoiding cold food and drinks, and rinsing with warm salt water can help take the edge off.

This article discusses how to relieve cavity pain. It offers simple dos and don'ts for easing pain from a hole in your tooth while you wait to see the dentist.

Do
  • Make a dentist appointment right away

  • Brush with warm water

  • Try an OTC anti-inflammatory

  • Apply oil of cloves (eugenol)

  • Keep your mouth as clean as possible

  • Consider a temporary filling material

Don't
  • Put off treatment—the cavity could invade the nerves

  • Expose teeth to extreme heat or cold

  • Eat sugary or acidic foods

  • Put topical medication directly on tooth or gum tissue

  • Skip brushing and flossing

Call Your Dentist

Call your dentist to make an appointment if you have a hole in your tooth, dental pain, or suspect you have a cavity.

Symptoms of a mild cavity include:

  • A hole or dent in your tooth
  • Sensitivity to hot or cold beverages and foods or sweets
  • Toothache or pain
  • White patches on the tooth

Cavities are common and can be repaired by your dentist with a filling. Left untreated, it can lead to an infection and damage the root.

Signs of a tooth infection include:

  • An abscess (pocket of puss)
  • Facial swelling
  • Fever
  • Pain

If you have any of these symptoms, call your dentist. If they can't see you right away, ask for guidance on pain relief.

Don't cancel the appointment if the pain fades temporarily. The damage won't repair itself, so the pain is bound to return.

The longer you put off going to the dentist, the deeper the cavity will go and the more pain it may cause. You could subsequently need a root canal or tooth extraction instead of a simple filling.

cavity pain treatment

Verywell / JR Bee

Watch What You Eat

Avoid foods and drinks that are very cold, very hot, sugary, or acidic.

When decay invades the dentin layer of teeth, it can cause pain in response to extreme temperatures. You may want to brush your teeth with warm, rather than cold, water.

Acidic and sugary foods can worsen tooth decay. Your teeth may not be sensitive to them like with heat and cold. But they contribute to decay and increase pain.

Acidic foods include:

  • Citrus and citrus juices, especially lemon
  • Tomatoes
  • Anything carbonated
  • Anything sour
  • Dried fruits
  • Flavored tea
  • Vinegar, including pickled foods

Consider Pain Medication

If your dentist says it's okay, take an OTC pain reliever. Anti-inflammatories generally work best for dental pain. Most toothaches are caused by inflammation of tissues or nerves.

OTC anti-inflammatories include:

  • Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)
  • Aleve (naproxen)

If you need more pain relief, Tylenol (acetaminophen) may help. It's usually safe to combine Tylenol with anti-inflammatories.

Ask your dentist, primary care provider, or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns.

Try Oil of Clove

Another option is oil of cloves (eugenol). It's used in various dental materials because of its germ-killing and pain-relieving properties.

You can find eugenol in most health food stores. To use it, soak a small piece of cotton. Blot the cotton on a piece of tissue to remove the excess.

Using clean tweezers, hold the cotton on the painful tooth for 10 seconds. Make sure you don't swallow any of the oil.

Keep Your Mouth Clean

Don't avoid brushing or flossing the painful area. Keeping your mouth clean can help. That's because clumps of bacteria produce acid and increase pain.

Try flossing between the painful teeth. Removing any food particles and plaque may help reduce pain.

Rinse your mouth with warm saltwater. It is not only soothing, but it helps to kill bacteria as well.

To make a saltwater rinse, dilute up to 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of baking soda (optional) in 8 ounces of warm water. Swish the salt water around your mouth for about 30 seconds. Spit out and do not swallow. 

Fill It at Home

Some pharmacies have OTC filling material that temporarily seals the cavity. If you can identify exactly where it is, this may help alleviate pain and protect the area.

Ask your dentist before you do this, though. Some of them believe sealing a painful or infected tooth may cause more pain. It may also worsen the infection by sealing in bacteria.

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7 Tips for Preventing Cavities

Summary

Dental pain from tooth decay or a cavity should be evaluated by your dentist. The pain should resolve once the hole in the tooth is filled.

While you wait to be seen by the dentist, you can treat cavity pain at home with OTC anti-inflammatories and clove oil. Avoid hot, cold, sugary, or acidic food and drinks.

Keep your mouth clean by gently brushing and flossing your teeth. You can also rinse your mouth with warm salt water to soothe cavity pain and kill bacteria.

7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Tooth decay

  2. American Dental Association: Mouth Healthy. Erosion: What you eat and drink can impact teeth.

  3. University of Minnesota Extension Service. Pickling basics.

  4. American Dental Associations. Oral analgesics for acute dental pain.

  5. Aitken P, Stanescu I, Playne R, Zhang J, Frampton CMA, Atkinson HC. An integrated safety analysis of combined acetaminophen and ibuprofen (Maxigesic ® /Combogesic®) in adults. J Pain Res. 2019;12:621–34. doi:10.2147/JPR.S189605

  6. Kumarswamy A. Multimodal management of dental pain with focus on alternative medicine: A novel herbal dental gelContemp Clin Dent. 2016;7(2):131-139. doi:10.4103/0976-237X.183066

  7. International Journal of Dental Clinics. Salt Water Rinse for Gums: is it effective? 

By Shawn Watson
Shawn Watson is an orthodontic dental assistant and writer with over 10 years of experience working in the field of dentistry.