How To Ease Tooth Pain Until You Can Get Into The Dentist

One of the worst things is in life is living with constant pain, especially when it’s pain that you can’t do anything about. Like dental pain. And sometimes you just can’t get to the dentist immediately to have him/her alleviate the pain. So when you have an accident or something happens to your teeth, how can you ease tooth pain until you can get to the dentist?

In order to answer this question, let’s go through specific problems you might be having and then what you can do for each one until you can get to the dentist.

•Toothaches: first, rinse your mouth well with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged food that may be causing irritation. If you mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek.

•Chipped or broken teeth: if possible, save any broken pieces of the tooth. Rinse your mouth with warm water. Rinse any broken pieces that you’ve saved. If you are bleeding, apply a piece of clean gauze to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. To keep swelling down, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek or lip near the broken or chipped tooth.

•Knocked-out tooth: if the tooth has completely fallen out, rinse the tooth with water. Do NOT scrub or brush the tooth. If possible, try to put the tooth back in place, but be sure that it’s facing the right direction. Do not try to force it back into its socket. If you cannot place the tooth back in its socket, put the tooth in a small glass of milk (or a cup of water that has a pinch of salt), or, if you happen to have it on hand, place it in a product containing cell-growth material, such as “Save-a-tooth.” Your tooth has the highest chance of being saved if you’re able to see your dentist within 1 hour.

•Partially knocked-out tooth: if the tooth has not quite fallen all the way out, leave it alone until you can see the dentist and s/he can properly remove it. Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or check of the affected area.

•Objects stuck between teeth: first, try using dental floss to gently and carefully remove the object. If you can’t get it out, visit your dentist. Do not use a pin or any other sharp object to attempt to remove the object. These instruments can cut your gums and scratch your tooth surface.

•Lost filling: as a temporary fix, stick a piece of sugarless gum onto the cavity, or use an over-the-counter dental cement.

•Lost crown: save the crown. Attempt to slip the crown back over the tooth by lightly coating the inner surface with over-the-counter dental cement, toothpaste, or a denture adhesive. DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE!

•Abscess: if you notice a pimple-like swelling on your gum that is very painful, you probably have an abscess. To ease the pain and draw the pus towards the surface, rinse you mouth with a mild salt water solution several times a day. See your dentist immediately.

•Injuries to the soft-tissue: any form of injury to the tongue, cheeks, gums and lips will usually result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, rinse your mouth with a mild salt-water solution; apply a moistened piece of clean gauze to the area and hold for 15-20 minutes; to control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the affected area for 10 minutes; if the bleeding doesn’t stop, go to the emergency room and continue applying pressure on the site until you can be treated.

In all cases, you may take an over-the-counter pain killer. Be sure to see your dentist as soon as possible.