There is NOTHING worse than a bad toothache. If you’ve experienced one, you know what I’m talking about. You can’t even think straight! So, what can you do to ease the pain quickly and effectively while waiting to get into your dentist?
Why Do I Have a Toothache?
First, let’s talk about the possible causes of your toothache. Your tooth or the area around your tooth could be hurting and caused from:
- A common cold
- Tooth decay (a cavity)
- A damaged filling
- Tooth breaking
- Infected gums
- Griding your teeth or too much constant chewing (gum etc.)
- Abscessed tooth
What Are Some Natural Home Remedies I Can Try?
- Saltwater rinse ‘ mix up tsp. salt with a glass of warm water and swish it in your mouth like a mouthwash. This can help get rid of food in between your teeth and reduce swelling. It also helps with the healing process.
- Apply ice or a cold compress ‘ wrap a towel around a bag of ice and hold it to the sore area of your mouth. You can do this for about 20 minutes every 2-3 hours.
- Clove oil – apply to your sore tooth and gums. Clove numbs the pain and can help reduce inflammation. You can also combine clove oil and a little water to make a mouthwash.
- Vanilla extract contains alcohol which can numb your tooth pain. You can apply this directly to your tooth and gums a few times a day as needed.
Can a Toothache Lead to Other Symptoms?
What you think is a simple toothache can actually include many other symptoms. These can vary from constant tooth pain to sharp or throbbing pain. You can experience swelling and redness around your hurting tooth, and even taste some horrible drainage coming from an infected tooth. Fevers and/or headaches can follow. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you will surely want to make an appointment with your dentist sooner than later.
Do I Really Need to Visit My Dentist?
You may think that you can control the pain with a little ibuprofen and practicing some suggestions above, but you need to make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible if you are experiencing:
- Severe tooth pain
- Your toothache is lasting more than 1-2 days
- You are experiencing fevers
- The pain moves around to your ears
It’s important to know that whatever is causing your toothache can spread to other parts of your face, skull, brain and even your bloodstream very quickly. Make it a priority to visit your dentist so that the cause of your pain can be diagnosed and properly treated. Plus, you want to get rid of that pain and soreness as soon as you can. Don’t wait to get into your dentist!
At myDental, we focus on providing safe, quality dental care. Call today if you have concerns about tooth pain or need to schedule a dental cleaning and exam for you and your family. Check out one of our convenient locations near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rinsing with warm salt water, applying clove oil to the sore area, using a cold compress on the cheek, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen can all provide short-term relief. These remedies work by reducing inflammation, numbing the area, or managing pain signals. However, they treat symptoms rather than the underlying cause.
Home remedies should only be used as temporary relief for one to two days while arranging a dental appointment. If pain is severe, worsening, accompanied by fever, or causing facial swelling, seek dental care immediately. Delaying professional treatment can allow infections to spread and cause more serious health problems.
Clove oil contains eugenol, a natural compound with numbing and anti-inflammatory properties that has been used in dentistry for centuries. Applying a small amount with a cotton ball directly to the painful tooth can provide temporary relief for 30 minutes to a few hours. It does not treat the cause of the pain and should not replace professional dental care.
Treatment costs depend on the underlying problem. A simple filling may cost $100 to $300, while a root canal ranges from $700 to $1,500, and an extraction costs $100 to $500. Dental insurance typically covers a portion of necessary treatments. Treating the problem early usually costs less than waiting until it becomes more complex.
A toothache should be treated as an emergency when it involves severe throbbing pain that does not respond to pain medication, visible swelling in the face or gums, fever, or a foul taste from a possible abscess. These symptoms can indicate a serious infection that needs prompt treatment. Schedule an urgent dental appointment or visit an emergency dentist right away.
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