Emergency Toothache Relief – Tips To Help Manage Tooth Pain

Toothache can strike at the most inconvenient times and even though it may be a dental emergency, you may need some temporary relief measures to get by. It’s important to remember that tooth pain is symptomatic of an underlying problem and needs to be checked by your dentist. Even if you can manage the pain for a short interval, you must still have your tooth looked at by a dental professional. In this post, we’re going to give you some emergency toothache relief tips, until you can get an appointment with your dentist.

What Causes Tooth Pain?

Toothache is a sign that there is a problem with your tooth or gum. Sometimes the pain can be so severe that it extends into your jaw, ears and head. It may also be accompanied by swelling or inflammation. 

Some of the most common causes of tooth pain include 

• Dental decay
• Trauma to the mouth or teeth
• A loose or broken filling 
• Infection of your dental pulp
• A dental abscess

As you can see, there are plenty of potential causes of tooth pain and your dentist is the only person who can diagnose and treat the cause. Getting toothache relief is a temporary measure.

Emergency Toothache Relief Tips

If you are in a position where you cannot get to the dentist immediately, there are some emergency tips that you can try:

If your toothache is accompanied by swelling or inflammation, use a cold compress held to the outside of your cheek for toothache relief

Keep your mouth clean and brush and floss like usual. Don’t be deterred by any pain or swelling because if you do have a mild gum infection, you do need to try and clean the infected area.

Try rinsing your mouth intermittently with a warm saline solution. This will clean your mouth gently and may provide relief if you have mild pain

Keep your head elevated. This is particularly important if toothache strikes in the middle of the night or you already notice swelling. By elevating your head you will prevent blood from pooling

Over the counter pain medication may help, depending on the severity of your infection. If you have cloves or clove oil at hand, you can use it on the affected area as it has been proven to provide toothache relief.

If there is a lot of bleeding that will not stop and you cannot get to your dentist, you are advised to visit your closest clinic for assistance.

How Can You Prevent Toothache?

Good dental hygiene habits are essential to prevent toothache caused by dental decay and gum disease. Brushing and flossing twice a day is very important, but regular consultations with your dentist are the best way to avoid a dental emergency. If you visit your dentist every six months he or she will check for the early signs of decay and gum disease before they turn into bigger problems that may cause an inconvenient dental emergency.

For assistance with emergency toothache relief please contact our practice. We will always do our best to prioritise emergencies: 02 8894 1007.