The most useful question about tooth pain is not how badly it hurts, but how long it lasts once the trigger has gone. Pain that stops within a couple of seconds of removing something cold usually means exposed dentine. Pain that lingers, throbs, or wakes you at night more often means the nerve inside the tooth is inflamed, and that does not settle on its own.
Sharp pain that stops quickly
A jolt with cold that disappears almost as soon as the cold does usually points to exposed dentine — from gum recession, worn enamel, a cracked filling, or recent treatment.
A desensitising toothpaste used consistently for several weeks helps many people. Worth mentioning at your next visit rather than treating as an emergency.
Pain that lingers after the trigger
If cold or heat sets off pain that carries on for thirty seconds or several minutes, the pulp inside the tooth is likely inflamed. This is the pattern that most often ends in root canal treatment, and it rarely resolves by itself.
Get it looked at while it is still only a pain. Left alone it usually becomes an infection.
Pain when biting
Pain on biting down, or on releasing the bite, can mean a cracked tooth, a high filling, or inflammation in the ligament around the root. A tooth that feels taller than its neighbours is a particularly clear sign that something is going on at the root tip.
Pain that wakes you at night
Lying down increases pressure in the head, and an inflamed pulp has nowhere to expand. Pain that is worse at night or when you lie flat is worth taking seriously — it tends to indicate the nerve rather than the surface.
When it is urgent
Call us the same day for any of these. Do not wait for an online booking to be confirmed.
- Swelling of the face, cheek or under the jaw
- Pain with fever, or feeling generally unwell
- A tooth knocked out or pushed out of position
- Bleeding that will not stop
- Difficulty opening the mouth
Go to a hospital, not a dental clinic, if
Swelling is spreading towards the eye or down the neck, or you are having any difficulty breathing or swallowing. That is an airway risk and needs an emergency department, not an appointment.
What helps until you are seen
A cold compress on the outside of the cheek. A painkiller you have taken safely before, at the dose on the packet. Sleeping with your head raised. Avoiding chewing on that side.
Do not put aspirin against the gum — it burns the tissue and does not help the tooth. Do not put heat on a swelling. Clove oil may dull the surface briefly but does nothing to the infection underneath, and repeated use irritates the gum.
Read more about Root Canal Treatment on our website, or call +91 9585 360 320 to speak to us.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis. Every mouth differs — please see a dentist about your own symptoms. How we review our content
