One minute, you are just living your life. In the next, you are reeling in pain caused by an aching tooth. Unlike other bumps and bruises on your legs or arms, you can’t just walk off a throbbing toothache and the pain is not likely to go away on its own. Knowing when to set up an appointment with the dentist and when to seek emergency dental care will give you the peace of mind of having a plan ready in case you need it. If you are suddenly in a lot of pain caused by your tooth or gums, relieving the pain temporarily will help you determine where the pain is coming from and if you definitely need professional dental care.

Pain relief

Tooth pain can be caused by a number of different situations. Locating where the pain is can help you determine what is causing your tooth to hurt. But dealing with the pain first will help you to calmly consider what is happening in your mouth. A few ways to alleviate the pain in your mouth are:

• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever or anti-inflammatory
• Rinse your mouth with warm, saltwater to kill any bacteria that could be causing an infection
• Using a cold compress against your cheek on the side of your toothache for 20 minutes at a time can reduce inflammation
• Make sure there isn’t something lodged between the teeth or in your gums that could be causing you pain. Brushing and flossing around the painful tooth may remove whatever is causing the toothache.
• For a natural relief of pain, crushing a clove of garlic and dabbing it around the aching tooth can kill bacteria and relieve pain

Causes

Once your pain is mitigated, the next step is to identify the cause of the toothache. If your tooth starts hurting out of nowhere, use a flashlight to try to see what could be causing the pain. Pain can be coming from:

• A cavity
• Infection or abscess
• Red or swollen gums
• Chipped, cracked, or broken tooth
• A sinus infection could also be the cause of perceived tooth pain. If you suddenly have multiple teeth aching and there is no sign of damaged teeth and your gums are pink and healthy looking, the pain may be coming from a sinus infection instead of from in your mouth.

If you identify the cause to be one of the above situations, except for the sinus infection, or if the pain is unbearable and you can not figure out what is causing your toothache, call a dentist right away. If you are able to lessen the pain and you can wait until the next available appointment, then you won’t need emergency dental services. But if the pain is intolerable, or if you have a knocked-out tooth, or constant bleeding, seeing a dentist as soon as possible will get you out of pain faster and possibly even save the tooth that has been knocked out. For the best emergency dental care in Lake in the Hills, IL, give Aristo Dental a call today!