I have an abscessed tooth. what should i do to help swelling and pain until i can get to the er?

Don't Go To ER: The er is a very expensive place to go for this simple problem. Your family doctor and/or your dentist are a much better choice for treating this simple problem. Why would you spend thousands of dollars on a hospital visit instead of going to the medical or dental professionals trained to manage this for you?

Not much: Going to the er is time consuming, expensive, and not definitive. They will give you antibiotics and pain meds but won't treat the cause of the problem. You would be much better off to get to a dentist or endodontist asap! they will get you comfortable much quicker!

Go to dentist: If you go to er they will give you an antibiotic and pain pill. This will temporarily help you. Eventually your problem will come back. Maybe worse. Save your money... Go to dentist.... Get it treated correctly and at less of a cost. If you go to er they will tell you to go to dentist and give you medication.