Tooth pain can range from mild to severe, depending on the circumstances. For example, if you simply have a minor infection caused by a lesion or small cavity, your pain level will usually be much lower than it would be if you cracked or broke one of your teeth instead. In any case, you’ll want to seek attention as soon as possible.
Before you visit the dentist, however, you may have some wait time. If it is a dental emergency, be sure to seek emergency care, but in any other case, you may have to wait a few hours or more to see a dentist. In the meantime, here are five things you can do when you have tooth pain before seeking dentistry and dental care.
Identify the Cause
The cause may be more obvious in some circumstances over others. For example, you may not know what the cause of a toothache is, but pain after chipping your tooth has a more obvious root cause. Once you know the cause, you’ll be able to better treat the pain.
Clean the Area
If you haven’t already, gently clean the area. If you’ve chipped, cracked, broken, or lost a tooth, you should clean the area with water and try to find the missing part of the tooth. If you have it, put it in a cup of milk and set it in the fridge until you can seek dentistry.
Ease the Pain
If you can, take a painkiller and ice the area. You may also want to take a low-level over-the-counter painkiller, however, avoid them if you are bleeding because certain painkillers can act as a blood-thinning agent, causing you to bleed more.
Call the Dentist
When you can, call the dentist for an appointment as soon as possible with a reliable dental clinic like Smile Solutions PC. In the case that your injury or pain is accompanied by facial or other trauma, you may want to visit an emergency room. You can also follow them on Twitter.
