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Let's figure out what will give your child relief from this toothache.
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The goal of this recommendation is to see what you can use over the counter for a toothache until your child can see a dentist.

You should try these in the order listed.

Girl with toothache


1. Salt water rinse

Place 2 to 3 teaspoonful of table salt in a glassGirl using salt water rinse of warm water your child can tolerate.

Have him or her swiss and spit as a mouth wash for about 30 seconds as needed.

 

2. Pain pills

NonSteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) will be useful for the inflammation, pain and swelling.

If your child can't take NSAIDs, acetaminophen would be a good second choice.

But don't give acetaminophen as a first choice. It is not very good with the inflammatory pain associated with a toothache.

 

3a. Eugenol (clove oil)

Use a Q-tip to apply clove oil to the toothache.

Place a little folded gauze pad to prevent it from being washed away for maximum effect.

Can't find clove oil?

Look for preparations in the dental aisle containing eugenol. (Red Cross Toothache®, DenTek®).

This is the pain relieving ingredient in clove oil.

If clove oil (eugenol) is not your child's thing, then go with benzocaine.

 

3b. Benzocaine

Preparations containing 20% benzocaine will help numb the toothache pain for a few hours.

Know that the numbing agent will eventually wash away.

How long depends on the amount of saliva being produced. So make sure you combine this with something like ibuprofen for your child. 

Average relief time is 4 hours.

Remember, it is clove oil (eugenol) or 20% benzocaine. Not both.

 

4. Cold compress

If swollen and very painful, press an ice pack against the child's cheek closest to the toothache for about 5 to 10 minutes 3 to 4 times a day to alleviate the pain.

 

Worth mentioning

Massaging the web of the hand between the thumb and index finger on the same side of the body with the toothache pain with ice has been found to produce up to a 50% reduction in acute dental pain [ R. Melzack et ].

 

Last updated by pharmacist on : 02/16/2016

 

 

Know this about the safe and effective use of this recommendation.
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Our disclaimer

  • Recommendation is the opinion of a registered US Pharmacist currently practicing as a community pharmacist.
  • Recommendation is not an attempt to discuss all possible self care or treatment approach to this health challenge.
  • The responsibility of the recommending pharmacist is limited to this question:
    "If a patient presents with these symptoms, what will you recommend and why?"
    It is not an attempt to publish an article on the treatment of any condition. Just what would you tell a patient who present with so and so in the usual course of your practice.
  • The pharmacist image presented in this article may or may not be the actual image of the authoring pharmacist.
    Because we insist on using articles written by currently practicing community pharmacists, these pharmacists may choose to remain anonymous especially if they are employed by an employer to avoid being pressured to recommend a particular product to drive sales.
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