What are the best ways to ease dental pain?

Motrin and Tylenol (acetaminophen): Combining Ibuprofen (motrin) and Acetaminophen (tylenol) works well for otc pain relief. They each work on different pain receptor sites making them synergistic. Pay particular attention to the maximum doses for each medication.

Ice, heat, medicine: If pain occurs after a dental appointment, contact the dentist. Try over the counter head ache relief medications. Place ice and/or heat on the face to see if that relieves pain. If you have not seen a dentist, buy an over the counter toothache relief kit which has eugenol liquid in it to rub on gums. If you can't visit dentist, request antibiotics from your family doctor.

Avoid...: Stay away from pain and make one of the wisest decisions you can (if you haven't already): regularly visit your dental provider and prevent surprises like you are currently experiencing. There is really no good time for an emergency, and the majority of them are avoidable :-).

OTC: To get you through the night or till you can get to the dentist, over-the-counter (otc) analgesics such as Ibuprofen or tylenol (acetaminophen) is adequate. Get to your dentist as soon as feasible to address the cause of the infection as analgesics is only a band-aid and not definitive treatment.

Meds, dentist: OTC pain meds until see dentist who will diagnose reason for pain and recommend treatment.