If you've been ignoring a toothache in the hopes it will get better, you may end up with a dental emergency instead. The pain from your tooth could be so severe that you can't get it under control. The tooth might also become infected and need immediate treatment. If either of these things happens, you'll want medical treatment right away. Here are a few suggestions for dealing with a dental emergency.

Where To Get Help For A Dental Emergency 

If your toothache escalates on the weekend or in the middle of the night, your regular dentist may not be any help if he or she has set office hours. Instead, you'll need to find an emergency dental clinic that is open 24 hours a day, so you can be seen right away. Your hospital emergency room probably doesn't have a dentist on staff for emergencies, so finding an emergency dentist is the best choice. However, if you can't find a dentist right away, then going to the ER will at least get you help for the infection and pain until you can get to a dentist.

How To Deal With Severe Dental Pain

When your dental pain is mild or moderate, you can probably control it with over-the-counter pain relievers. When the pain is severe, those medications may not be strong enough to touch it. Being in severe pain for a prolonged time places a lot of stress on your body, and it can be a dangerous situation. You don't want to take more OTC pain relievers than the label instructs because that could possibly cause serious side effects.

You might try ice packs or numbing gel you get from the drugstore. However, for the best relief, you'll need to get to a medical professional. When you go to an emergency dentist, you might have dental work done right away that puts an end to your pain. However, if you have to take antibiotics first, then you may need to wait a while to have your dental work done. In that case, the dentist might prescribe a few painkillers to help you through the next few days. Antibiotics will reduce the infection, which can also help reduce your pain.

Why Seek Emergency Treatment For A Dental Infection

It's possible to have a bad dental infection and not have terrible pain. Instead, you may just notice swelling of your jaw or face. This could turn into a serious problem if the infection spreads into your bones or if it gets into your bloodstream and goes to your heart. A dental infection should be treated right away to get the bacteria under control.

You should suspect you have a dental abscess or infection if there is swelling in your mouth, you have a fever, or if you feel wrung out and sluggish, especially when these symptoms are accompanied by a toothache.

A severe toothache or an abscess isn't something you should try to tough out through a long weekend, or your health could be at risk. Instead, call an emergency dentist so that you get prompt treatment and put an end to your pain.

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