Take Time to Tame a Toothache!

There’s a curious thing about toothaches:  They have an unfortunate way of cropping up late at night or at the beginning of three-day weekends when you can’t get to the dentist right away. When that happens, you have to find ways to ease the agony until you can get some help. Here are a few tips:

·        Fight it with floss. Sometimes a toothache is caused by a particle of food lodged between your teeth or in your gums. So it’s worth it to take a few minutes to floss the area to see if something pops out.

·        Don’t quit brushing. Even if it hurts a little when you brush, it’s essential to keep your teeth clean until you can see a dentist. That’s because food and debris can collect on your tooth and make the pain worse. Just brush slowly and don’t use a lot of pressure.

·        Spread on some spice. Relief from a raging toothache may be as close as your spice rack. Add a little water to ground ginger or red pepper to make a paste, then spread it liberally all around the point of pain.

·        Hit it with ice. Hold a cold pack—or a washcloth wrapped around some ice cubes—on the outside of your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes every few hours until you can see your dentist.

·        Take a painkiller. The analgesics in your medicine cabinet are more effective for tooth pain that you might think. Acetaminophen can sometimes ease a toothache as effectively as mild prescription drugs, and as long as you’re not sensitive to them, aspirin and ibuprofen may be even better. They reduce inflammation and stop the body’s production of pain-causing prostaglandins.

It’s not unusual for toothaches to disappear on their own, but you can bet that the pain’s going to come back—probably sooner rather than later. You may as well bite the bullet and make an appointment to see your dentist. Toothaches are often caused by decay, so there’s a good chance you’ll need a filling or even a root canal. Once the damage is repaired, the toothache will be gone for good.