3 Ways Of Dealing With Toothaches While Waiting For A Dental Appointment

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Are you currently dealing with dental pain? Have you called around for a dental appointment but the earliest you can be seen is a few days from now? Even when you have adequate dental insurance, it's not always possible to find an emergency dentist or a dentist who has immediate openings. While taking over the counter NSAIDs can help give relief, they're not always as effective as you might hope against the pain of an infected tooth or one with a lost filling. Fortunately, there are other steps you can take that can help tide you over until you are able to see the dentist. These things include the following. 

1. Warm salt water: You've probably heard the old adage about rubbing salt in wounds and are understandably confused about why you would want to do this when your teeth are already hurting. But as strange as it may sound, body-temperature water with as much salt as possible mixed into it is actually a very good pain reliever for toothaches. It's obviously not permanent or long-lasting, but it does help. Part of the pain of a chipped or cracked tooth comes from the nerve being exposed to air and drying out. The salt water counteracts this and helps trick the nerve into thinking that it's still protected by the tooth.

2. Dental wax: Although it can be hard to locate in some drug stores, you can find emergency dental filling kits to help with these kinds of toothaches. These kits consist of a waxy paste that can be put into the cavity to help protect the tooth until you are able to see the dentist. Due to the fragile nature of these fillings, they will typically only last for a day or two at most before falling out. But even that much may allow you to sleep and to otherwise function normally while waiting for your appointment.

3. Clove oil: One cure for toothaches that you may have heard about previously is clove oil. This can sometimes be found at your local drug store, or some people just go to the local grocery store and get some there. Unfortunately, while clove oil can work for many people, it can also be harmful if used excessively. If used contrary to the indications on the package, applying clove oil to the painful area may result in damage or may actually increase sensitivity. For this reason, you should probably avoid using clove oil unless nothing else is working.

For more information, contact a dental office like Scott W. Murphy Dentistry today.


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