Table of Content:
- Managing oral & dental pain
- Mild orofacial pain
- Moderate orofacial pain
- Severe orofacial pain
- What if painkillers don’t relieve your pain?
Managing oral & dental pain
Dental or orofacial pain can be very uncomfortable and unpleasant. If you’re experiencing in or around your mouth, you should contact your dentist right away. Remember, toothaches never resolve themselves, and the pain only gets worse over time. Go see your dentist to see how they can help you manage your pain. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to help reduce the pain.
Mild orofacial pain
Mild dental or oral pain is typically due to one of the following conditions:
- Early-stage cavities
- Early-stage gum disease
- Local trauma from biting or other accidents
- Canker sores
- Defective dental restorations
Try taking 400 mg of Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, etc.) or 500mg of Acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 4 to 6 hours as needed. Contact your dentist to have your condition evaluated before the pain worsens.
Moderate orofacial pain
Moderate pain in the mouth region could be due to one the following reasons:
- Early-stage infection
- Moderate gum disease
- Wisdom tooth eruption
- Moderately broken or defective dental restorations
You can manage moderate pain by taking 400 to 600 mg of Ibuprofen or 500mg of Tylenol every 4 to 6 hours as needed. Again, contact your dentist right away to have your condition evaluated as soon as possible.
Severe orofacial pain
Severe oral or dental pain feels intolerable and constitutes a true emergency. Typically, severe orofacial pain is the result of one of the following conditions:
- Root canal infection
- Aggressive gum disease
- Wisdom tooth eruption
- Moderately broken or defective dental restorations
If you’re experiencing severe pain, it’s best to contact your dentist right away. In the meantime, you can try taking 600 to 800 mg of Ibuprofen plus 500mg Tylenol every 4 to 6 hours as needed. There’s a good chance that you will require stronger medications or antibiotics to manage severe pain. However, you must see your dentist first to have your condition evaluated and obtain stronger medication. If you can’t see a dentist right away, you might consider going to the emergency room. However, emergency rooms won’t treat your actual toothache and they’ll only give you medications to reduce your discomfort. You still have to see your dentist to find a permanent solution to your problem.
What if painkillers don’t relieve your pain?
Most toothaches don’t resolve with just painkillers. Painkillers typically only mask dental pain and the pain returns at a later time. However, using painkillers can reduce your pain until you go see your dentist. It’s also possible that you have to treat your tooth right away to eliminate the pain. To learn more about different causes of dental emergency, click here.