When Should an Individual See a Dentist if They Have Toothache?
Experiencing toothache or pain? Does it come or go? Or has it been persistent for a while? Suffering from an aching tooth or persistent discomfort in your mouth is often your first warning sign that you need to see a dentist.
As a rule of thumb, if you have experienced dental pain for more than 2 days, which is not helped or relieved with over-the-counter medications, then you’ll need to book an emergency appointment. This timeline is also supported by the NHS. Toothache lasting more than two days is not normal and classed as severe, meaning there’s an underlying issue that needs addressing, which if left ignored might mean you lose your tooth later down the line.
Check your symptoms
See an emergency dentist today if these symptoms accompany your toothache:
- A high temperature
- Pain when biting down or chewing
- Red, puffy or swollen gums
- A bad taste in your mouth
- Your cheek, jaw or neck are swollen
Toothache is often your first warning
Persistent tooth pain often indicates an issue with your tooth, whether it’s from the presence of a cavity or dental infection, which you might not have been aware of prior.
Often, when patients experience tooth sensitivity or dull aching in the mouth, we, as dentists, see this as a warning sign.
Several factors, such as environmental factors such as allergies, can cause sensitivity. However, if your pain persists longer than a few hours, tooth sensitivity could also indicate a bigger problem under the surface. Pain that’s caused by cavities, advanced decay or infection will be persistent, last longer than 48 hours and continue to get worse, regardless of home remedies or over-the-counter pain relief.
If you haven’t been to the dentist for a check-up in a while, have poor oral hygiene habits or a diet that’s high in sugary foods, you allow for plaque to coat the teeth, which erodes the enamel allowing cavities to form.
Cavities, once formed, can then spread through the tooth, reaching the inner pulp (the tooth’s nerve centre), causing an infection, which can only be resolved by a root canal, which, if it fails, will require extraction to get rid of tooth pain symptoms.
Don’t ignore the pain
Even mild sensitivity or dull aches are warning signs of changes in your smile.
Does it make your teeth hurt to think about it? Ignoring any discomfort allows tooth decay to cause infections and weaken the structure of the tooth over time, putting you at greater risk of cracks, chips and breaks.
When a tooth becomes infected, the inner pulp can die, turning teeth black and killing the tooth. At this stage, tooth extraction is often necessary to prevent the infection from spreading to nearby teeth or the jawbone itself.
Signs and symptoms of an advanced cavity or infected tooth include tooth sensitivity, toothaches, pain when chewing and swelling.
