Are you experiencing serious tooth pain? Do you think it will go away on its own? If you’re like most people, you might take over-the-counter medicine to dissolve the discomfort and forgo visiting your emergency dentist, but is this the right thing to do? Could there be a more critical issue that needs professional intervention? Find out whether it’s best to wait it out or schedule an appointment for further examination.
Should You See an Emergency Dentist About Your Tooth Pain?
Yes. While tooth pain can form for many reasons, not all problems are visible, which means an issue can exist beneath the gumline and only be detected with digital imaging.
A qualified dentist can use enhanced technologies and techniques to identify the affected tooth and determine the cause of the intense pain. After drawing up a personalized treatment plan, they can discuss the proposed method of restorative care that will target the pain and restore your tooth’s function.
What Can Cause Severe Tooth Pain?
Some of the most common reasons behind intense tooth pain include:
- Dental Damage: If you sustain a broken, cracked, or chipped tooth, there is a good chance you will experience much pain. This can happen as a result of playing sports, biting down on something hard, or accidentally falling and hitting your tooth against a firm surface.
- Tooth Decay: When you do not practice good oral hygiene or fail to see your dentist every six months for checkups and cleanings, tooth decay can become a problem. As bacteria accumulate, harmful acids will form and begin to eat away at your tooth enamel. Over time, it can spread deeper into a tooth’s structure, resulting in a nagging toothache that can only be treated with restorative care.
- Enamel Erosion: Teeth grinding and clenching, eating ice, biting your fingernails, and consuming hard, crunchy foods regularly can wear down the enamel of your teeth. This can expose more sensitive layers and erode the outer, more protective barrier that keeps bacteria from immediately coming into contact with the dentin or pulp. If an infection develops, pain and swelling can occur.
How Can a Dentist Help Relieve Tooth Pain?
Depending on the underlying reason and severity of your tooth pain, your emergency dentist can suggest one of many restorative options to curb discomfort and improve the health and function of your smile.
They may suggest:
- Antibiotics
- Fluoride treatment
- A dental filling
- A dental crown
- Root canal treatment or pulp therapy
- Tooth extraction
It’s better to let a qualified dentist examine your tooth than assume everything will be fine while waiting it out at home. The sooner you get to the root of the problem, you can minimize the need for more extensive restorative care in the future.
About the Practice
At Dr. Glen’s Happy Teeth, our team of general and pediatric dentists, as well as a talented orthodontist, works together to care for patients of all ages. Offering essential oral healthcare and specialty services, we also tend to those who experience serious oral pain. If this happens to you or a loved one, and you’re unsure how to handle a severe toothache, visit our website or call (516) 431-5855.