Everyone (dentists included!) has experienced dental pain at one point or another in life. If you're lucky, your friendly neighborhood dentist may just be one phone call away. But what happens if your tooth starts to hurt at midnight on a long weekend and you can not see a dentist right away?
If in addition to tooth pain you are also experiencing facial swelling, fever, and/or difficulty in swallowing or breathing, you need to go to hospital emergency right away for treatment. Though rare, dental infection can lead to airway obstruction which can be fatal.
If swelling and fever are absent and all you have is a sore tooth, there are a couple of steps you can take at home to alleviate the pain. Depending on the etiology of pain, hot or cold packs on the outside of the face or holding hot or cold water in your mouth may help. Try either hot or cold and see which one works. If both hot and cold make the pain worse, make sure your foods and fluids are lukewarm instead. It is very important to keep hydrated and take in food despite the toothache so your body can keep fighting the infection and also you will be less likely to feel unwell due to low blood sugar when you are at the dental office.
One other important aid is pain medication. It is often easier to control pain at the onset of pain rather than taking the medication only when you can not tolerate the pain any longer.
The first medication of choice would be some type of anti-inflammatory or NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin) since most dental pains are inflammatory in origin. If you are unable to take NSAID due to history of GI bleeding or allergy, acetaminophen with or without codeine may be the second choice.
If you have any concerns regarding potential allergies to medications, you can ask your doctor for tests. We all know it is not easy to find a family doctor, but the newly opened Oasis Medical Centre is right across the street from Metro Dental Care and they may be accepting new patients.
If your dentist or doctor has prescribed an antibiotic for you, don't expect it to work right away. Depending on the type of antibiotics prescribed, it can take up to 48 hours to kick in.
At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Catching a potential problem with a tooth and treating it early will help you avoid that midnight toothache.
If in addition to tooth pain you are also experiencing facial swelling, fever, and/or difficulty in swallowing or breathing, you need to go to hospital emergency right away for treatment. Though rare, dental infection can lead to airway obstruction which can be fatal.
If swelling and fever are absent and all you have is a sore tooth, there are a couple of steps you can take at home to alleviate the pain. Depending on the etiology of pain, hot or cold packs on the outside of the face or holding hot or cold water in your mouth may help. Try either hot or cold and see which one works. If both hot and cold make the pain worse, make sure your foods and fluids are lukewarm instead. It is very important to keep hydrated and take in food despite the toothache so your body can keep fighting the infection and also you will be less likely to feel unwell due to low blood sugar when you are at the dental office.
One other important aid is pain medication. It is often easier to control pain at the onset of pain rather than taking the medication only when you can not tolerate the pain any longer.
The first medication of choice would be some type of anti-inflammatory or NSAIDS, such as ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin) since most dental pains are inflammatory in origin. If you are unable to take NSAID due to history of GI bleeding or allergy, acetaminophen with or without codeine may be the second choice.
If you have any concerns regarding potential allergies to medications, you can ask your doctor for tests. We all know it is not easy to find a family doctor, but the newly opened Oasis Medical Centre is right across the street from Metro Dental Care and they may be accepting new patients.
If your dentist or doctor has prescribed an antibiotic for you, don't expect it to work right away. Depending on the type of antibiotics prescribed, it can take up to 48 hours to kick in.
At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Catching a potential problem with a tooth and treating it early will help you avoid that midnight toothache.
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