Emergency Care for Instant Toothache Relief

There is hardly anything worse than dealing with an unrelenting toothache. Generally, a toothache occurs if tooth decay is very close to or has penetrated the center of the tooth that contains nerves and tiny blood vessels. This can be caused by infections, cracked teeth or decay. Among the causes of infections is gum disease that, left untreated, can also contribute to unbearable pain. Other sources of pain include an irritated tooth nerve from lost enamel or wisdom teeth impacted by tissue, bone or another tooth.

Toothache is often caused by dental caries, which causes pain when the lesion extends through the enamel into dentin. Pain usually occurs after stimulation from cold, heat, or brushing. As long as the discomfort does not persist after the stimulus is removed, the pulp is likely healthy enough to be maintained. A more advanced stage of caries, known as pulpitis, can cause extreme pain as the pulp becomes encased in a rigid compartment.

In most case, a toothache cannot be healed right away. Although several remedies are available to alleviate the pain, toothaches are dental problems that need to be treated as soon as possible. In the interim, some common home remedies include dabbing a cotton ball soaked in lime juice or clove oil directly on the bad tooth. If caused by trapped food, rinsing the area with warm water may loosen whatever is causing the pain.

In cases where a lost filling or a broken tooth is causing the pain, caulking the sore tooth with softened chewing gum can ease the pain. But if the object does not respond to that treatment and the surrounding gum begins to swell, make sure to call us immediately for an appointment.