Ben and Gary Show - Episode 23
What To Do When You Have Pain In Your Mouth
Call your dentist, of course. One of us is always on call in case of emergency.
Here's how we determine if your problem is urgent or whether it can wait until the next day.
We ask you to describe your pain to determine if it is a tooth, gum, or nerve problem.
- Can you pinpoint pain to one tooth - likely a tooth problem
- Is the pain generalized - likely a gum problem with a trapped husk or seed
- Is there swelling - may need an antibiotic
- Is the pain is greater than 5 on a scale of 1-10 - most likely a nerve issue
- Is there temperature sensitivity - likely a tooth problem
For swelling, we typically call in an antibiotic. For pain, we prescribe the combination of over the counter Aleve and Tylenol, or a combination of over the counter Advil and Tylenol.
These have been shown to work as well as super controlled narcotic pain relievers, which require a written not a called in prescription.
For nerve pain, we may also prescribe an antibiotic. In this instance, we may also refer to one of our colleagues who specializes in root canal treatment.
Tooth fractures may be urgent and require you to come to us at one of our three locations.
- If the tooth broken with jagged edges
- If the tooth is split
We prefer working with our awesome Smiles International team, but we are happy to go solo to get you fixed up and out of pain.