How can i alleviate dental/gum pain until my appointment?

OTC: Take some otc pain medication such as advil, motrin, aleve (naproxen) or what you would normally take for a headache. Avoid cold, hot and sweets if any of those stimuli elicit discomfort. Depending upon the nature of the dental problem, topical anesthetics such as orajel may or may not help. Nothing else you can do until your appointment. Perhaps move your appointment up?

OTC meds: OTC meds and avoid foods that increase pain. Usually you can find a dentist to see your same day. May need to find another dentist if your dentist won't see you today.