September 2017 Blog

You’re at work, out of town, or just enjoying your weekend, and then you start feeling that low grade throbbing coming from your mouth. Or maybe you wince at that sharp pain coming from your tooth when you drink your coffee or enjoy a cold drink. You might bite into something and suddenly feel that piece of tooth that broke off, and then feel the pain.  Worst case scenario is when your face starts to puff up and you feel feverish, and then you know you are in trouble.

In all these cases, the best thing you can do is contact the dentist immediately. The dentist can determine whether you need to be seen right away or if your situation can be managed with antibiotics and over the counter pain relievers until you can get in to the office. What you should not do is ignore the situation because in most cases this will lead to more extensive treatment or the loss of your tooth.

Here at Madsen & Hirsch Dental Care, our goal is to encourage preventive dental care so situations like this can be avoided. With regular check-ups and having treatment done early, it becomes a lot easier to avoid painful and unexpected emergencies. Sometimes people avoid the dentist because they are fearful or anxious. If this is you, we are happy to work with you at your pace to make you comfortable, and have the availability of “sedation dentistry” to make you feel relaxed and secure while you have your needed dental work completed. 

Sometimes people avoid the dentist because it “costs too much.” Dentistry can become expensive when it becomes an emergency situation. Regular checkups and maintenance of your oral health can actually be quite cost effective when done preventively. Many recent studies have proven that there is a link between your general health and the health of your teeth, so good dental care is a great investment. Here at Madsen & Hirsch Dental Care, we will work with you to find the most affordable option for your situation.

So you have determined that you do have a dental emergency and you can’t get a hold of the dentist. Maybe you are out of town or just unable to contact the dentist. What do you do?

• Keep the area as clean as possible. Use a room temperature or slightly warm rinse to rinse away food debris.

• If the tooth has broken and sensitive, you can use a product from a drugstore for a temporary filling but make sure the tooth is clean before using this.

• Rinse with a solution of 1 Tablespoon of salt with warm or hot water especially if there is any sign of swelling.

• Soaking a cotton ball or cotton swab (Q-Tip) in any of these extracts (vanilla, almond, peppermint, or lemon) will provide temporary pain relief to an aching tooth or mouth. Simply hold the extract-soaked cotton to the pained area for a short period of time.

• Holding a warm tea bag to the area for short periods of time may also provide some relief.

• Clove oil on a cotton swab or use of raw cloves are also effective home remedies for a toothache if applied properly. All you need to do is to take a few cloves and keep them in your mouth for some time such that it gets moistened and releases the oil upon bruising by your non-paining molars. Once it is done, all you need to do is to hold the moistened cloves against your painful or sore tooth for at least half an hour. You will then get relief.

These measures are all meant to be very temporary remedies until you can get to the dentist as soon as possible. 

The content on this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions