If you experience any kind of dental pain, it's important to know what you can do about it before getting it addressed by your local dentist. Since most dental pain is an indicator of a small problem, you can usually correct it on your own. Here are three common causes of dental pain and what you can do about them:
Swelling:
If there is swelling in your mouth, it's usually coming from the gums, which is a sign that there is an infection. At this point, you need to see a dentist as soon as possible. In the meantime, be sure that you continue to brush, even if it's uncomfortable. You can brush more lightly in the areas that are sensitive. This is important for preventing the quick spread of the infection. If it's extremely uncomfortable, you can take acetaminophen to help reduce swelling, but don't rely on this solely. It's important that you have also made an appointment with your dentist.
Toothache:
A toothache is a more general type of pain and can indicate many different types of problems. However, it's usually because there is food stuck in your teeth that is more difficult to get out. Usually waiting it out helps. However, if the pain does not subside within three days, it could be a sign that there is a problem that is worse than food being stuck in the tooth. For this reason, it's important to make an appointment with your dentist at this time.
Chipped Tooth:
A chipped tooth is definitely an uncomfortable problem and can sometimes be painful. However, if there is no pain, you don't need to see a dentist right away unless it's a cosmetic problem you want fixed as soon as possible. If the chip occurred towards the back of the mouth, however, and there is no pain, then it's not usually a problem that has to be addressed. If there is pain, though, your dentist will want to take a look at the tooth right away to ensure that the right treatment for the chip is put into place.
When you know these three common types of pain to deal with and what to do about it, you can be sure that you know how to handle certain dental emergencies. You can also be sure that you will prevent problems from becoming more major over time, such as the spread of infection.
Share18 July 2017
Hi, my name is Kevin Nelson and I want to tell you about my experience. I had a painful tooth so I went to see my dentist. After the examination, he said that I needed to have a root canal to save the tooth. I told the dentist to just pull the tooth instead and then he explained why that wasn't a good idea. He said that pulling the tooth would cause additional problems and then he told me what could happen. I didn't want any more problems, so the dentist did the root canal and I'm glad that he did. I wanted to write a blog to tell others about the benefits of a root canal and what to expect during the procedure. I hope that by getting the word out, other people won't make the same mistake that I almost did by getting a perfectly good tooth pulled.