What does toothache mean?
Toothache is a common noun for pain experienced in a tooth or in the teeth. It is most often associated with decay, infection, injury, or other damage affecting a tooth, and it may be described as sharp, throbbing, or persistent. The word is used in ordinary conversation as well as in medical and dental contexts: a person may say they have a toothache, seek treatment from a dentist, or describe severe toothache that disrupts sleep or eating. In British English, "toothache" is particularly common as an uncountable condition, while in American English the countable forms "a toothache" and "toothaches" are standard. Although the word is simple and direct, it remains useful because it identifies a distinctive kind of bodily pain more specifically than the general term "pain" and more accessibly than a clinical diagnosis.
nounPain in a tooth or in the teeth, especially pain caused by decay, infection, injury, or other damage. It may also refer more generally to dental pain.
- Pain in a tooth or in the teeth, usually caused by dental decay, infection, injury, or another problem affecting the tooth.
"A severe toothache kept her awake all night."
"He went to the dentist because his toothache had become unbearable."
"The child complained of a toothache after eating the cold ice cream."
The standard plural is "toothaches."
"Her toothaches became so severe that she needed emergency dental treatment."
Toothache joins two enduring English words in a wonderfully plain description: pain in a tooth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does toothache come from?
Toothache is an English compound formed from "tooth" and "ache," both inherited Germanic words; "tooth" descends from Old English tōþ and "ache" from Old English āce. The compound developed in Middle English and combines a dental term with a general word for suffering. The tooth component belongs to a wider Germanic family that includes German Zahn and Dutch tand, while related Latin forms are reflected in English words such as "dental" and "dentist."
Related word forms
How toothache is actually used
This is a neutral, everyday medical term. It is usually countable, as in "a toothache" and "two toothaches," although British English also commonly uses "toothache" without an article, as in "I've got toothache."