A toothache is the most common and recognisable problem concerning dentistry and oral hygiene. The pain can vary between mild and excruciating and can interfere in all manner of daily activities or even keep you from sleeping. Although toothaches are largely avoidable, once they set in they cannot be eased without professional treatment. This can be a big problem if pain begins to affect you during inconvenient times; during the night, for example, when regular dentists are in bed themselves and there is no readily available remedy for the problem.

What can you do before seeing a dentist?

Maintaining good oral hygiene is key, even if it hurts to brush or move your jaw, not brushing will only make things worse. However, aside from regularly maintaining good oral hygiene and other preventative methods, there are other things you can do to ease a severe toothache before you see a dentist.

On many occasions, the pain caused by tooth decay is a throbbing kind, and using icepacks to numb the jaw and face can ease this. In other situations, when the tooth causing the pain can be correctly identified, the use of Clove Oil can assist in dispelling the pain. Rubbing it on the specific tooth and area around it can ease the pain, as can covering the tooth. If the tooth is not exposed then it won’t be as sensitive, so using sugar-free gum or dental wax can help as a temporary solution.

Emergency Relief

Seeing a dentist, either during regular hours or through an emergency route, will allow for the pain to be assessed and treated. It is always best to try and see a dentist at the first sign of any slight pain; leaving it longer will only allow for the pain and problem to become worse. A toothache is usually caused by a cavity that has exposed tooth nerves so, once at the dentist, the problem tooth will have to be identified.

The cavity will be filled, however it may require some drilling to clean and remove remaining infection beforehand. If a cavity has been left for a long time, meaning the toothache will likely be excruciatingly painful, the tooth structure may have become compromised and in these cases a crown will be fitted. If infection has reached the nerve pulp inside the tooth, a root canal procedure will be required to remove the nerve endings. This will oftentimes mean that the tooth is safe from being extracted.