Is this your symptom?
- Pain or discomfort in a tooth
- If caused by an injury, see the Tooth Injury care guide.
Causes of a Toothache
- Tooth Decay. If the pain lasts more than a day, this is the most common cause. You may see a yellow-brown spot in the enamel. The most common site is the surface of one of the molars. The pain is dull.
- Dental Abscess. If the pain is severe and throbbing, the decay has become a tooth abscess. That means a pus pocket has formed within the root of the tooth. Tapping on the tooth causes more pain. If not treated, the abscess will erode through the bone. A "gum boil" or pimple will be seen below the gum line. See a dentist.
- Cracked Enamel. Biting on a hard object can crack a tooth. The tooth gets sensitive to hot and cold liquids. The tooth may look normal. The fracture may be below the gum line or hard to see.
- Gum Disease. Gingivitis is a medical name for irritated gums. They are red and tender. If tooth brushing and flossing are ignored, the gums may even bleed. This can be very painful. Getting your teeth cleaned and daily flossing may help this.
- Stuck Food. Solid food may become wedged between 2 teeth. Flossing will remove the food and stop the pain.
- Angina (Ischemic Heart Disease - serious). Heart pain often can be felt in neck and jaw. It can be mistaken for a toothache. If you have heart disease, or have toothache along with sweating, shortness of breath or a feeling of pressure in your chest, get your heart checked right away. It could be more than a toothache.
Tooth Abscess and Severe Pain
- A tooth abscess can cause severe pain that is not helped by normal pain medicines.
- Do not take more than the recommended dosage of pain meds, even if you still have pain.
- A root canal may be needed to treat this problem.
- In the meantime, call your dentist's office. If you can't reach your dentist, call your doctor for advice. They can often bring the pain under control by calling in a prescription. Most often, this is for an antibiotic such as penicillin.
When to Call for Toothache
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Call Your Dentist or Doctor Now
Contact Your Dentist Within 24 Hours
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Contact Your Dentist During Office Hours
Self Care at Home
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Call 911 Now
- Chest pain or heavy feeling in your chest
- Shortness of breath or you are feeling lightheaded, dizzy or faint
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Toothache and the area around your eyes or neck is swollen
- Swelling in your mouth or neck is making it hard to breath, swallow or speak
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- You feel weak or very sick
Call Your Dentist or Doctor Now
- Fever or chills; feeling hot or shivery
- Face is swollen
- Severe pain
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Your Dentist Within 24 Hours
- Toothache lasts more than 24 hours
- Brown or dark spot in the painful tooth
- Red or yellow lump at the gumline of the painful tooth
- Lost a crown
- Lost a filling
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Your Dentist During Office Hours
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Mild toothache present less than 24 hours
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
