If you’ve ever had a severe toothache, you know how it forces you to put your life on pause. A throbbing or aching tooth may make it impossible for you to eat and can prevent you from getting good sleep at night. Even focusing on your work or family can seem impossible. That’s why we at River Birch Dental make sure to treat patients’ toothaches with the utmost urgency.
Call Us at 715-646-2161 Today!
If you experience a severe toothache, call our office right away, so we can fit you into our schedule. Call us at 715-646-2161 to make an emergency appointment at our Centuria WI dental practice.
Toothaches and Cavities
Toothaches can be throbbing, constant, shooting, intermittent, or any combination of those feelings. Sometimes you only feel sensitivity when consuming hot or cold foods. Regardless of how you describe it, pain is always a sign you need professional dental attention.
If a cavity is behind your pain, this means that bacterial infection has reached the inner portion of the tooth, where the nerve endings are found. If not treated promptly, a deep cavity can worsen until the tooth is so badly damaged that we cannot restore it. In those cases, a tooth extraction is the only solution. You do not want to get to that point, so treat all oral pain as the emergency it is.
Other than cavities, some toothaches are caused by:
- A deep crack
- A fracture (broken tooth)
- Gum recession and exposed tooth roots
- Food stuck in the gums
- Failing dental work
- Enamel erosion from bruxism (teeth grinding)
Home Care While You Wait for Your Appointment
We do our best to see emergency patients ASAP, but you may have to wait a few hours for your appointment. Since every minute with a toothache can feel like an eternity, however, you may want to follow these home care tips to lessen your pain.
- Apply an ice pack or cold compress to the face at the site of the pain (but not in the mouth).
- Eat only soft foods or liquids and rinse after you eat.
- Take over-the-counter painkillers, following dosage guidelines on the packaging.
- Try to rest; don’t try to follow your usual routine.
- Rinse the mouth with warm salt water. This can reduce pain and swelling.
- Numb the tooth with eugenol (clove oil) if the pain is unbearable. This product is available at most drugstores and online. Put a few drops on a cotton swab and bite down until you feel relief.
Call Us at 715-646-2161 Today!
When Children Get Toothaches
Kids get cavities as frequently as adults and you should always take a child’s complaint of oral pain seriously. The enamel on baby teeth is thinner than that of adult teeth, so cavities tend to worsen and spread much faster than in adults.
It’s important to note that a cavity will never get better on its own; the situation will only get worse. Unless flossing relieves your child’s pain immediately (in which case it may have just been a bit of food lodged in the gums) always make an appointment if your child complains of a toothache.
Children may not be able to communicate the specifics of their pain efficiently, but you will know if your child is hurting. Look for changes in your child’s behavior, and don’t be afraid to look inside your child’s mouth for signs of a problem.
- Your child is avoiding certain foods.
- He or she may put fingers in the mouth and try to fiddle with the tooth.
- Your child complains of pain in the mouth.
- He or she may seem to be in a bad mood or may have trouble sleeping.
- There may be dark spots of discoloration on a specific tooth.
- The gum tissue may be swollen or red.
If you or your child is experiencing pain in one or many teeth, make an appointment at River Birch Dental of Centuria WI. We will find the source of your problem and fix it! Call us at 715-646-2161 and we will see you within 24 hours.