How can we get you out of tooth pain quickly?
Well, I love over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen. In this case, as long as you're not allergic to ibuprofen or sensitive to it, you should take six to 800 milligrams of ibuprofen. If that doesn't cut it, you can layer on top of that up to 1000 milligrams of Tylenol or acetaminophen. Now unfortunately for most causes of tooth pain, that medication is only going to last you six to eight hours. So ultimately, in order to get you completely out of pain, you'll need to visit your dentist. When you come to the dentist, we can find out exactly what is causing your tooth pain and get you a solution to get you out of pain permanently.
What are the most common causes of tooth pain?
One of the most common causes of tooth pain is when you get a cavity and that cavity gets so deep into your tooth that it actually breaches the nerve that's inside your tooth. When that happens, you end up with a toothache and most people complain that it even wakes them up in the middle of the night with a pounding or a sharp pain. Other than cavities, there's a whole myriad of reasons that you could have tooth pain, some of which include clenching your teeth or tooth trauma. I've also had crazy ones where a person has an actual sinus infection, but because the nerves of the sinus are so close to the upper back teeth, they feel like they have a toothache when it's actually a sinus infection. So in any case, it's important to come to the dentist and we can do the proper diagnostics, maybe take an x-ray, do some tests and find out exactly what your tooth pain is coming from.
Why would I be having a dull, constant ache on my tooth?
Well, as I mentioned, that could be from tooth trauma, such as clenching your teeth. It could also be coming from your gums. Sometimes the gums have a problem and it actually feels like it's coming from your tooth when the gums themselves have the problem. That can be caused when you get something stuck in your gums or you traumatize your gums, such as when you burn the gums on like a slice of pizza or when you poke your gums the wrong way when you're trying to clean in between your teeth. So there's a variety of reasons why the gums may have an issue, but sometimes the gums act up and actually come in the form of what feels like a dull toothache.
What if you're having tooth pain when you bite down?
In most cases, that's caused by a tooth fracture or a crack in your tooth. Cracks in your tooth usually start near the chewing surface, but if left untreated, as you continue to chew, those cracks will travel deeper and deeper into your tooth. Eventually that crack will go so far into your tooth that every time you bite down, that tooth is literally stretching apart and causing the nerve to cause excruciating pain in your tooth. I've heard people describe it even like an ice pick is being driven into their tooth. It sounds horrible. I myself haven't experienced that, but if you have experienced it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Is it normal to have tooth pain after a dental procedure?
Well depending on the kind of procedure, you're going to have to go through perhaps some trauma on the gums or the tooth in order to fix it. Surgical procedures such as extractions or dental implants or gum surgeries, it's normal to have some swelling and some aching in those cases. Now for less invasive procedures like fillings, you don't usually experience tooth pain afterwards, but in some cases you could have a little bit of achiness afterwards for say a day or two. I've also seen it happen where a person's jaw will become achy because when you have your mouth open during a dental visit for a long time, the jaw itself and the muscles in your jaw can become achy. Sometimes those muscles can act up so badly that it almost feels like a toothache. You could even get a sharp shooting pain through your jaw when it's actually a muscle cramp. So again, it's important to sort through all these details. If you're having all these symptoms, come into the dentist so we can sort through them and get a proper diagnosis to get you taken care of.
What can I do at home to alleviate the tooth pain?
Well, besides the medications that we already talked about, a lot of people like to use Oragel or Ambasol. Those are essentially like numbing creams that you can put on your gums or on the tooth. I find that they're not very effective for a toothache from a cavity, but I think every little bit helps. If you're having a toothache that's actually coming from the gums, then Oragel or Ambasol, those numbing creams actually could do the trick. Another homeopathic remedy is clove oil. You shouldn't apply clove oil directly to your gums because it'll probably burn, but you could dilute it in a little bit of what they call carrier oil, such as coconut oil. And with a drop of that and a little bit of coconut oil, you could swish. And clove oil, but a drop of clove oil in a little bit of, a drop of clove oil in about a teaspoon of coconut oil can act as a mouthwash that can numb your gums or soothe any tooth pain you're having. It's just a temporary fix, but if your problem is something that's going to heal on its own, like a cut in your gums, that might do the trick to keep you comfortable until the gums can heal. Another home remedy I like is salt water, good old saline. So you can get a cup of warm water and just throw a little pinch of salt in that water, stir it up really good until it's dissolved and swish your mouth with that. Salt is a natural bacteriostatic. What that means is bacteria doesn't like to grow in heavy salt concentrations. So when you swish with salt water, it keeps the bacteria levels down in your mouth and it also can draw out some of the swelling. So if you've had a recent tooth extraction or your gums are swollen, salt water rinses can be very helpful during the healing process to keep you more comfortable.