It’s 2 a.m. Your tooth is throbbing so hard you can feel your heartbeat in your jaw. You’ve tried sleeping on the other side, and you’ve tried ignoring it. Nothing works.
If you’re searching for what to do for severe tooth pain, you’re probably hurting right now. So we’ll keep this simple. You’ll learn what to do in the next hour, which signs mean you need help today, and how an emergency dentist in Englewood can get you out of pain without piling on work you don’t need.
Key Takeaways
- Rinse with warm water, floss gently, use a cold compress, and take an over-the-counter pain reliever as the label directs.
- Never put aspirin or any pill directly on your gums. It can burn the tissue.
- Face swelling with fever or any trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 or go to the ER now.
- Severe tooth pain that fades on its own usually hasn’t been fixed. The cause is often still there.
- At Fit To Smile Dental in Englewood, patients with dental emergencies are often seen the same day.
- You’ll see your own tooth on a screen and hear what needs care now and what can wait. Then it’s your call.
Severe Tooth Pain: What to Do in the Next Hour
Look, when a tooth is screaming at you, you want relief, not a lecture. These first steps follow the American Dental Association’s dental emergency guidance, plus a few simple tips from our own chairs. None of them fix the tooth. They just buy you time until you can get to a dentist.
Clean Around the Tooth Gently
Swish warm water around your mouth to clear out food and calm the area. Then floss slowly around the sore tooth. A stuck popcorn hull or a bit of meat jammed against the gum can cause a shocking amount of pain. Get it out, and you might feel better in minutes.
Calm the Throb and the Swelling
Wrap a cold pack or a bag of frozen peas in a thin towel. Hold it against your cheek for about 15 minutes at a time. Cold slows swelling and dulls the ache, so skip the heating pad, since heat can make an infection swell more.
When you lie down, prop your head up with an extra pillow. Lying flat sends more blood toward your head. For a lot of people, that’s exactly why tooth pain feels worse at night.
Use Pain Relievers the Right Way
An over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can take the edge off. Follow the label. If you take other medicines or have health conditions, ask a pharmacist what’s safe for you.
Here’s the thing: never set an aspirin or any pill right on your gum. It won’t numb the tooth. It can burn the soft tissue and leave you with a second sore spot on top of the first one.
Dentist Today or ER Tonight? Read the Warning Signs
Most toothaches are dental problems, not hospital problems. But some signs mean an infection may be spreading, and that can turn serious fast. Use this table to figure out where to go.
| What You Notice | What It Might Mean | Where to Go |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp pain when you bite or chew | A crack, a broken filling, or deep decay | Call your dentist today |
| Throbbing pain that keeps you up at night | An inflamed or infected nerve inside the tooth | Call your dentist today |
| A pimple-like bump on the gum near the tooth | A possible abscess, which is a pocket of infection | Call your dentist today |
| A broken or knocked-out tooth | An injury that is easiest to fix quickly | Call your dentist right away |
| Pain that lingers after hot or cold drinks | Decay or an irritated nerve | Book a visit within a few days |
| Swelling in your face or jaw, with a fever | An infection that may be spreading | Call your dentist right away, or go to the ER if you can’t be seen |
| Trouble breathing or swallowing | Infection or swelling near your airway | Call 911 or go to the ER now |
But here’s what matters. An ER can treat a spreading infection and help with pain, which can save your life. What it usually can’t do is fix the tooth, so you’ll still need a dentist to treat the cause.
When the Pain Stops, Is the Problem Gone?
Ever had a toothache that roared for three days and then just stopped? It feels like you won. Sometimes it’s the opposite.
When the nerve inside a tooth dies, the pain can fade while the infection keeps going. That’s why “it quit hurting” isn’t the same as “it’s fixed.” A quick exam and X-rays will tell you what’s really happening, and catching it early usually means a smaller, simpler repair.
What Your Emergency Visit in Englewood Looks Like
Maybe you’re dreading this part. Maybe it’s been years since you sat in a dental chair, and you’re bracing for a lecture or a giant bill. Here’s how an emergency visit works at our Englewood dental office.
First, We Get You Out of Pain
That’s the job, plain and simple. Dr. Trent Redfearn has said the part of dentistry he fell in love with was “the helping of people part and getting people out of pain quickly.” The whole practice runs on that idea.
Depending on what’s causing the pain, relief might come from a filling, a root canal, a crown, or sometimes removing the tooth. If you’re nervous, sedation options are available. You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through it.
You See What the Dentist Sees
Every treatment room has a chairside monitor. Your own tooth goes up on the screen, so you can see the crack, the decay, or the infection for yourself. As Dr. Trent puts it, “You get to see what I see.”
You Hear What Can Wait
This is where we’re different, and it’s on purpose. We’ll fix what’s hurting. Then we’ll tell you what needs attention now, what can safely wait, and what each choice costs. After that, it’s your call.
Our doctors have a saying: “We tell you what you need, but we happily give you what you want.” One longtime patient explained why that matters: “he never pushes work on us, so when he tells me I need something done, I always follow his counsel.”
No Shame, No Lectures
Been a while? That’s okay. Nobody here is going to lecture you about flossing. As one patient wrote after her visit, “they didn’t make me feel guilty for not flossing!!” You’re here because something hurts, and that’s what we’ll focus on.
Meet the Dentist Who Has Served Englewood for Two Decades
Dr. Ryan Redfearn bought the Englewood practice shortly after graduating from the UMKC School of Dentistry in 2005. He grew up in small-town Southeast Missouri, one of seven kids, and first planned on medical school. A family friend who was a dentist talked him into dentistry instead.
Dr. Ryan focuses on restorative and reconstructive care. That matters when a painful tooth turns out to need more than a quick filling. You can learn more about Dr. Redfearn and Dr. Trent on our Englewood doctors page.
Worried About What It Will Cost?
Fear of the bill keeps a lot of people home with a toothache. The hard truth is that waiting rarely makes the fix cheaper. A small cavity today can become a root canal next month.
Our team will go over your insurance and payment choices in Englewood before any work starts, so there are no surprises. Financing through CareCredit is available too.
Close to Home for Englewood and South Denver
Fit To Smile Dental sits at 3601 S Clarkson St #200, Englewood, near Denver’s southern edge. You can get directions and read patient reviews on Google. Patients come from Cherry Hills Village, Greenwood Village, Littleton, and south Denver neighborhoods.
Our Englewood phone number is (303) 762-8046. Call before you head over so we can have a chair ready. If you live or work anywhere in the City of Englewood, a same-day appointment may be closer than you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can severe tooth pain go away on its own?
A: The pain can fade, but the cause usually doesn’t. When the nerve inside a tooth dies, the pain may stop while an infection keeps spreading. If you had severe tooth pain that suddenly quit, see a dentist within a few days to find out why.
Q: How fast can I see an emergency dentist in Englewood for severe tooth pain?
A: At Fit To Smile Dental’s Englewood office, patients with dental emergencies are often seen the same day. Call (303) 762-8046 as early in the day as you can, and describe your symptoms so the team can plan the right amount of time for you.
Q: Will an emergency visit turn into a huge treatment plan?
A: Not here. The first goal is getting you out of pain. After that, you’ll see images of your teeth on a chairside screen and hear what needs care now, what can wait, and what each option costs. The decision stays yours.
Q: Should I go to the ER or a dentist for severe tooth pain?
A: Go to a dentist for most tooth pain, because a dentist can fix the cause. Go to the ER right away for swelling that spreads toward your eye or neck, trouble breathing or swallowing, a high fever, or a possible broken jaw. The ER can control infection and pain, but you’ll usually still need a dentist afterward.
Get Out of Pain Today, Then Decide What’s Next
Severe tooth pain is your body asking for help. Rinse, floss gently, use cold, and take a pain reliever the right way. Watch for swelling, fever, or trouble breathing, and get to the ER if you see them. Then get the tooth checked, even if the pain backs off.
When you’re ready, call our Englewood office at (303) 762-8046. You’ll be met where you are shown what we see, and told straight what can wait. Want to save time in the waiting room? Fill out your new patient forms before you come in.