Toothache is normally caused by tooth decay. Teeth can come out naturally or get knocked out in an injury or accident.

What’s happening?

The person with toothache may:

• have a throbbing pain in their head, jaw, and ear
• find eating or drinking difficult, and be sensitive to hot/cold food and drink
• find their jaw is sore and tender to the touch
• find the pain is worse when lying down because more pressure is put on the tooth
• have bleeding and swelling around the tooth or gums

What to do

• Use mild painkillers to ease the pain.
• Use heat treatment – hold a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to the cheek.
• Soak a rolled up plug of cotton wool in oil of cloves and hold against  the affected area.
• Get the person to see a dentist as soon as possible.

If a tooth is knocked out then try to gently push it back in again (wear disposable gloves if available). Then cover the tooth with a gauze pad and ask person to clench the pad between their top and bottom teeth. If the tooth cannot be re-implanted, tell the person to keep it in their cheek or put it in some milk or water and take it to the dentist straight away.

Milk (baby) teeth should not be re -implanted.

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