How to Deal with a Toothache at Home

Picture this: you’re enjoying a sweet or salty treat after a long day when one food bite causes your teeth excruciating pain. Toothaches are one of the most common oral ailments, and they can be a result of infection, cavities, or fractures. Regardless of the source of the problem, here’re some tips you can follow at home to relieve your toothache in Issaquah before visiting your dentist.

Dos and Don’ts of Toothache At-home Treatments

Rinse Your Mouth

Rinsing your mouth might seem pointless at first glance, but it can do wonders for your unbearable tooth pain. Pour some warm water into a glass, mix it with a teaspoon of salt, and use it as a mouthwash.

This mixture can eliminate food remains that worsen your health condition and disinfect the damaged area, reducing inflammation. Taking care of the swelling and decreasing the number of harmful bacteria will relieve your discomfort before your emergency dental appointment.

Use Cold Compresses

Aside from water and salt, cold compresses and ice work perfectly when coping with an aching tooth. Freezing temperatures make your face look less swollen while numbing oral tissue and reducing the pain. Place a cold compress or wrapped ice cubes on your cheek and leave it in place for at least 15 minutes.

You can also hold cold water inside your mouth for a few seconds, which will have similar effects. However, don’t chew on ice or cold foods, as this will only worsen your infection and increase your chances of a tooth fracture.

Take Over-the-counter Medication

When the pain is too severe, and no cold compress is effective, try taking over-the-counter medication. Your body produces chemical substances that make you feel discomfort to let you know something is wrong and in need of treatment. 

Ibuprofens force your body to make less of these compounds, easing your pain, handling inflammation, and preventing symptoms like fever. Even if ibuprofen and aspirins don’t require a medical prescription, make sure to take them responsibly.

Eat Soft Foods

Even if you don’t feel any pain after taking over-the-counter medication, stick to soft foods only until you visit your dentist. Chewing with a damaged tooth exposes ill tissue to harmful bacteria that can worsen your infection.

If a tooth crack is the root of your discomfort, eating hard or sticky foods forces your teeth to exert pressure, which might send sharp stings throughout your body and turn a small crack into an unsalvageable fracture. Go for blended or pureed meals until your dentist fixes your dental issue.

Don’t Smoke

Finally, smokers should steer clear of cigarettes until their emergency appointment is over. Nicotine and tar do more than stain your teeth; they decrease your blood pressure, deprive your brain of oxygen, and cause gum swelling and recession.

Smoking will only worsen your symptoms and infect oral tissue if one or more of your teeth are vulnerable and in pain. It might be challenging, but try to refrain from smoking as much as possible or keep consumption to a minimum.

Do You Want to Relieve Your Toothache in Issaquah?

Even if you can deal with the symptoms at home, you should never overlook a toothache. Our team can assess the damage and treat your smile accordingly. Contact us today to book an emergency appointment!