Is My Toothache Considered an Emergency?

Dental emergencies need the proper care. But is your toothache an emergency? Read to learn more about common causes of tooth pain and when to seek professional dental care.

When you’ve got a toothache, thinking about anything else is challenging. During work hours, time at home, and even when trying to fall asleep, toothache pain intrudes on your usual activities. Toothache pain can stress you out, leaving you wondering if you’re dealing with an emergency dental situation.

At Affordable Dental East of Indianapolis, Indiana, we’ve got answers to your questions about how to respond to troublesome toothaches. Here’s what you need to know about handling toothaches and when it’s time to reach out to Dr. Ben Mohrman and our team of dentistry professionals.

Toothache causes and risks

Dental pain is a warning signal, letting you know something may be amiss with your dental health. That’s why you should never ignore tooth pain, even if you know you’re prone to dental sensitivity.

Your toothache could be caused by advancing dental decay and accompanying tooth infection or abscess. That’s especially true if the affected area is underneath or beside your tooth root, where your tooth nerves can be stimulated.

Tooth infections are serious health issues. Infection or decay severe enough to cause a toothache can erode the structure of your jawbone. Infection in your mouth can also make its way into your bloodstream, potentially causing whole-body health complications like heart disease, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

You can prevent tooth decay and other dental issues by practicing good oral hygiene and care. However, if you do start to experience repeated or persistent tooth pain, you have options to address both your symptoms and the potential underlying problem.

Relieving toothache pain

You can sometimes relieve pain and irritation in your mouth with over-the-counter or home remedies. But, if your toothache pain persists, that lets you know that you may need professional dental care to address an underlying cause.

Before contacting an emergency dental care provider, how long should you wait with toothache pain? Getting dental issues checked out sooner rather than later is always a good idea. When your provider at Affordable Dental East can identify problems at earlier stages, treatment is typically less extensive – and less expensive.

Whether your toothache is due to a loose filling, cracked tooth, runaway cavity, or other form of decay, we offer restorative dental procedures to treat the problem. This both makes your toothache go away and protects your oral and whole-body health from complications related to dental infection.

Suppose you experience tooth pain that persists for over a day or two despite your attempts to address it with home remedies or OTC medication. In that case, it’s time to contact Affordable Dental East for dental emergency care.

We’re here to help with dental emergencies. After you inform our team about your toothache, we schedule your appointment as soon as possible. We may also give you instructions for self-care techniques you can use right away.

Contact Affordable Dental East online or over the phone for emergency support with toothaches.