When you have a toothache, you don't want to suffer any longer than you need to. However, it's often difficult to know when a toothache is serious enough to need immediate treatment and when you can wait. If you're unsure, you should always call your dentist or go to a dental clinic for emergency treatment. Here are some signs that your toothache needs treatment as soon as possible.
The Pain Is Unbearable
There are different levels of pain you'll have with toothaches, and people tolerate pain differently. However, if your pain is severe, you'll know it. A mild toothache might come and go or be irritated by eating or drinking fluids. A severe toothache can be constant sharp pain or deep throbbing pain that doesn't go away. You may resort to taking over-the-counter pain relievers at higher doses than recommended and still not get relief. Taking too many OTC pain relievers is dangerous, so if you can't control the pain by using the recommended dose or using numbing creams and ice, then see a dentist right away for help. Severe pain could be a sign of an infection that needs treatment without delay.
You Have Signs Of An Infection
An infected or abscessed tooth should always be treated quickly because the infection can spread to your bone or even elsewhere in your body if the infection gets in your bloodstream. While pain is a common symptom of infection, you might have an infection and not have much pain. Instead, you might have swelling around the gum of the infected tooth, bleeding from the gum, pus oozing from the gum, fever, or swollen lymph nodes in your neck. You may also feel fatigued or sick because your body is fighting the infection. A dental infection could need antibiotics to heal it and to prevent it from spreading, and the sooner you start the antibiotics, the better.
The Pain Is Caused By A Broken Tooth
Toothaches aren't always caused by decay. If you fall and land on your mouth, you might break off a tooth and expose a nerve. When you have a tooth injury that causes severe pain or that could cause you to lose a tooth, you should see an emergency dentist right away so you can save the tooth if possible. Sometimes, it's even possible to save a tooth that has been knocked out, but only if you get help right away. By delaying treatment until regular office hours, you could lose the tooth and need an implant and crown to replace it.
Share