Bad toothache needs prompt treatment
May 28, 2009
There’s nothing worse than being in pain and being told “you’ll have to wait”. Yet I’ve had many friends and patients tell me:
- “My dentist couldn’t fit me in for 1/2/3 days/weeks.”
- “He just had a quick look and said he couldn’t do anything until the antibiotics he gave me started working.”
- “He said he couldn’t numb me up as the infection would stop the injection from working properly.”
It shocks me to hear this. Saying we’re far too busy to see you is really uncaring in my opinion. I know a toothache won’t kill you, but anyone who has had really bad toothache knows it is all-consuming – and apparently it is the second-worst pain a person can experience. I’ll tell you what the worst is when you see me.
Of course there are times when dentists have to wait for antibiotics to work, but these are rare. If antibiotics are necessary they should be given after work has been carried out to relieve pain.
As for infection, this simply won’t stop an anaesthetic injection from working. They do take time …
With toothache you need a dentist who will:
- See you the same day you ring.
- Carry out treatment to relieve the pain on the first visit – this is vital!! (Whatever it is we know how to treat it, both immediately and longer term .)
- Give enough anaesthetic to numb the tooth, and wait long enough for it to work properly. Although local anaesthetic should work under normal conditions within 5 minutes, with bad toothache this may take up to 30 minutes to work. We schedule time to accommodate this possibility into our appointment planning.
If the above is carried out, 95% of people will experience almost complete relief from pain within 24 hours, and 60-70% will experience immediate relief.
As we realise the importance of providing prompt toothache treatment, we run a 24 hour / 365 day a year emergency service. Just ring 01252 877309!!!