Toothache pain relief, says Philip D. Corn, D.D.S., a private practitioner in Philadelphia and director of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry, may be a symptom of several things. The pulp of your tooth or the gums around your throbbing cuspid could be infected. There could be decay in a molar. You may have a cracked bicuspid. Or you might have been smacked in the mouth. Or the ache could simply be an irritation from a piece of food caught between two teeth, adds Jerry F. Taintor, D.D.S., chairman of endodontics at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. Or it could be a backlash from a sinus problem.
Below are the most common causes of toothache pain and how to get the best relief from them until you can see a dentist about your toothache.
* Abscess Tooth: Pain when you bite or chew, especially if it is accompanied by a foul odor and a bad taste, can be a sign of an abscess accompanied by an infection that needs immediate treatment. Warm salt-water rinses may be soothing and over-the-counter pain relievers may relieve the pain and fever but the bottom line is you will need to see a dentist ASAP or the infection will get worse.
* Knocked Out Tooth: Shake off debris (rinsing or scrubbing could remove important periodontal ligament), place it in a container of milk or back in its socket and try to reach the dentist within 30 minutes.
* Broken Tooth: If you've lost the broken piece, just get to the dentist. If you have it, gently shake off surface dirt and definitely keep it. Even if the piece can't be bonded back to the original tooth, it can be used to help re-create the look of that tooth.
* Object Wedged Between Teeth: Gentle flossing or brushing is fine, but if the object does not respond to that treatment and the surrounding gum begins to swell, make an appointment with your dentist. A bit of broken filling or chipped enamel can throw your bite off and make you panic. Popcorn husks are one of the worst offenders and occasionally need to be removed by a dentist.
* Lost Filling Or Crown: Cover the hole with temporary material, do not try to put the old filling back in the tooth. If you lose a crown, you'll want to try and salvage it (you can surprisingly use vaseline, denture adhesive or over-the-counter temporary dental cement available in pharmacies to put the crown back in place until you can reach a dentist).
* Soft-Tissue Injuries: Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, rinse your mouth with a mild salt-water solution. Use a moistened piece of gauze or tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes. If the bleeding doesn't stop, see a dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency room but remember to continue applying pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze or tea bag.
However, should all these methods fail to give you the relief you seek, you could always take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) for relief. However, be aware that you will still need to see a dentist ASAP. Remember... if you mask the pain with a painkiller, the infection will spread and may even become life threatening.
(1) Massage with Ice - Perhaps the most unusual toothache remedy is to rub an ice cube into the V-shaped area where the bones of the thumb and forefinger meet. Gently push the ice over the tooth ache area for 5 to 7 minutes. In a study, Ronald Melzack, Ph.D., a Canadian researcher and past president of the International Association for the Study of Pain, found ice massage eased toothache pain in 60% to 90% of the people who tried it. His research shows this procedure works by sending rubbing impulses along the nerve pathways that the toothache pain would normally travel on. Since the pathways can carry only one signal at a time, rubbing outweighs the pain.
(2) Rinse Your Toothache - Take a mouthful of water (at body temperature) and rinse vigorously, says Dr. Taintor. If your toothache is caused by trapped food, a thorough rinse may dislodge the problem.
(3) Floss Gently - If swishing doesn't work, you can try to pry the popcorn hulls or tiny bits of meat out from between your teeth by flossing, says Dr. Taintor. Be gentle! Your gums are likely to be sore.
(4) Rinse with Salty Water - After each meal and at bedtime, stir 1 teaspoon of salt into an 8-ounce glass of water (again, at body temperature), says Dr. Corn. Hold each mouthful, roll it around your mouth. Spit.
(5) Stay Cool - Keep heat away from your affected area even if it makes the toothache feel better, warns Dr. Corn. "If it is an infection, the heat will draw the infection to the outside of the jaw and make the infection worse."
(6) Use Oil of Cloves - People have been using this over-the-counter remedy for many years, says Richard Shepard, D.D.S., a retired dentist in Durango, Colorado. Most drugstores carry tiny bottles of the oil. Drop a little directly onto the tooth, or dab a little on a cotton ball and pack the elixir next to the tooth ache. If you have a whole clove, place a whole clove between the aching tooth and your cheek. It can be held in place by holding your finger on the outside of the cheek. Chew the cloves a little to release their juice, then leave them in place for half an hour or so or until the pain subsides.
(8) Use Lime Juice - Add some lime juice to asafetida (hing) powder. Soak a piece of cotton and hold it on the tooth and gum.
(9) Keep Your Mouth Shut - If cold air moving past the affected tooth is a problem, just shut off the flow, says Roger P. Levin, D.D.S., president of the Baltimore Academy of General Dentistry and a guest lecturer for the University of Maryland.
(10) Use Turmeric Sticks - Burn some turmeric (haldi) sticks; make a fine powder and use as toothpowder.
(11) Use Ginger - Chew a ginger piece slowly with the aching tooth/teeth to release its juice and leave there for half an hour. Repeat 2-3 times.
(12) Use Star Fruit - Drink the juice of 2-3 star fruits twice a day to get toothache pain relief.
(13) Use Peppermint and Salt - Boil 5 gram of peppermint and a pinch of salt in 1 cup of water. Drink it to relieve toothache.
(14) Use Vanilla Extra - Pour a few drops of Vanilla extract on the dental toothache in question.
(15) Use Oil Of Oregano - Pour a few drops oil of oregano on the toothache and/or adjoining gum.
(16) Avoid Biting Down - If the toothache is caused by a blow to the tooth, try not to use that area when you eat, says Dr. Corn. If nothing is damaged, rest for the tooth may restore its vitality.
(17) Suck On A Moist Teabag - Place it as close to the aching tooth as possible.
(18) Try Acupressure - Press gently but firmly on the sides of either index finger opposite the base of the fingernail.
Being "Nice" To Your Teeth
"If you can't even touch the tooth, that's a toothache," says Roger P. Levin, D.D.S. "But if the tooth is merely reacting to heat or cold, then it's a problem with sensitivity." More than 40 million Americans have "dental hypersensitivity," and it begins when the dentin underneath the tooth enamel becomes exposed, usually at the gumline. Age, receding gums, surgery, and overzealous brushing with harsh pastes and hard brushes can expose dentin. Sometimes plaque eats the tooth enamel and exposes the dentin.
Is Your Tooth Ache Pain Not Going Away?
If you've tried one or more of the toothache treatments listed above and are still having tooth ache pain, then you really should see a dentist. If you don't have dental insurance and need some sort of emergency coverage, your best bet is to enroll in what is known as a Discount or Reduced Fee Dental Plan as this type of plan will lower your dental bills by anywhere from 15% to 50% or more!
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Toothache pain relief, says Philip D. Corn, D.D.S., a private practitioner in Philadelphia and director of the 
