General Dentist Office Tips: Steps to Treat a Toothache

Wondering if a general dentist can offer tips for treating a toothache? General dentists are a great resource to utilize when looking for ways to remedy any type of pain in the oral cavity. When looking for more information on treating pain, it can also be helpful to know what causes toothaches to begin with. 

Common causes of toothaches

According to Healthline, tooth decay is the most common reason for toothaches. Additional toothache causes include fracturing a tooth, damaging a filling, having an abscessed tooth and living with gum disease.

Treating toothaches

The list below includes three beneficial tips from a general dentist office that are known to help relieve any discomfort or pain someone is experiencing due to a toothache. Toothache sufferers can start with the first step and then work their way down towards the other steps as needed.

#1 – Rinse the mouth

Rinsing the mouth with warm salt water is one of the more beneficial treatments for addressing a toothache. Performing a warm salt water rinse helps to clear out any bacteria in the mouth, which in turn helps to reduce any inflammation. This natural disinfectant also helps to loosen any food particles stuck in between the teeth. A hydrogen peroxide rinse is also an option as it also helps to remove any bacteria, as well as helps to reduce plaque and heal gums that are bleeding. Using an antiseptic mouth rinse is also an option.

#2 – Place an ice pack on the area being affected

Placing an ice pack or a cold compress can help relieve toothache pain, as the coldness helps to constrict blood vessels in the area. Constricting blood vessels helps to reduce one’s toothache pain, as well as helps to reduce any swelling or inflammation that is currently taking place in or around the toothache area. If using an ice pack, it is important to place the pack in a cloth so the ice is not directly touching the skin. Cold can be used to treat the area for 20 minutes at a time, using the 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off method.

#3 – Take a pain reliever

Over the counter pain relievers are used by many toothache sufferers and are considered to be a temporary treatment option among general dentists. While many people will benefit from taking an over the counter pain reliever, there are also other, more natural pain-relieving options. For example, using clove oil can be very beneficial, as clove oil is known as a numbing agent. Peppermint oil and oregano oil are two additional essential oils that can be used to address the discomfort and pain associated with toothaches.

Suffering from a toothache?

Even though there are a few different reasons why someone would have a toothache, no matter what the cause of the toothache is, it needs treatment. While the above steps are beneficial when it comes to easing one’s discomfort or pain, many bad toothaches are in need of immediate dental care from a general dentist. 

Request an appointment here: https://www.johnbburgessdds.com or call John B. Burgess, DDS at (865) 321-9505 for an appointment in our Oak Ridge office.

Check out what others are saying about our services on Yelp: Read our Yelp reviews.