Decay (caries) dental emergency
1 Do you have any pain at the moment?
A Yes, I have pain all the time and it is irradiating to my ear and/or across the jaw
B The pain is occasional only if I drink or eat something
C Does it comes and goes without any reason?
D There is no pain
2 For how long you had the pain?
A A day
B A week
C A month
3 Can you describe the pain?
A It is a throbbing pain
B It is a stabing pain
C It is a sharp pain
D It is a dull pain
E It is a just a sensitivity there is no hole
4 What irritatives makes it worse?
A Cold food or drinks?
B Hot food or drinks?
C Both above
D Just breathing heavily through my mouth.
E Chewing – I can not eat
Decay– a hole in the tooth (caries)
What to do
4d see broken or lost filling
We need additional information please complete „broken fill“ part for a better results.
4e see swelling.
We need additional information please complete „swelling“ part for a better results.
1abc 2bc 3bcd 4abc
Right, the tooth has an inflamed pulp. It is not yet dead, although it may be on the verge of dying. It is hyper-sensitive to cold, to touch, sometimes sweets. It may be that the patient has a broken filling or cavity and needs to be repaired – a filling, will seal the tooth and will allow the nerve to settle down. If the tooth is severely painful and the pain is fairly constant, the nerve may be dying. In this case the dentist will start a root canal and that will usually relieve the pain.
What to do?
The best pain reliever for dental pain is Ibuprofen and it’s relatives (NSAIDs) if you can take them). Over-the-counter It is sold in 200 mg tablets and directions on the box are to take two every 4-6 hours. This is a very low dose and four, or even six tablets will be much more effective in the beginning, but try not to exceed 800mg a day limit .
Paracetamol is often used for a mild to moderate pain 0,5-1g every 4-6 hours to a max of 4g daily.
Also you can use opioid analgesics co-codamol 8/500 containing codeine phosphate 8 mg and on paracetamol 500 mg 0.5–1 g every 4–6 hours to a max. of 4 g daily.
DenTek toothache kit is a temporary filling material which you could by in most of the pharmacies. You have to make sure the hole is as clean as possible (no food or plaque left) and for the good retention results best if you could make it dry (extremely difficult). Temporary filling has a eugenol (derived from clove oil) which calms down the nerve and kills some of bacteria around. But remember, you still have to see your dentist.
What no to do
When you have no infection, no swelling or throbbing pain, you don’t need any antibiotics. Try to avoid any irritation of the tooth and see your dentist straight away. Do not ignore dental pain or avoid the dentist! If you have a serious dental phobia, admit it, and consider an anti-anxiety drug for appointments. (Valium and it’s progeny are God sends for some people and there is no shame involved in using these drugs for dentistry.)
Make sure you are not allergic to any of the above medications, and double check with a pharmacist for a side effects.
If you can not get any answers to your questions and problems, it is always the best thing to contact your dentist for further examination and assistance.
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