“How do you stop wisdom tooth pain at home?”
Both of my wisdom teeth have been hurting me for a week straight, and I can't get to my dentist until the end of the month. Are there ways to stop this pain at home?
11 Answers
You can take over the counter pain medication to help with the pain (examples: Ibuprofen or Tylenol). The sooner you can see a dentist the better for treatment and relief of dental pain.
Make sure you try to brush the area well and keep it clean. Rinsing with hydrogen peroxide 3% solution from the drug store diluted down to 1.5% with water (50/50 water to peroxide) rinse 2-3 times per day. Also over the counter (OTC) gels like Orabase with benzocaine or Zilactin can be applied 4-5 times per day. If there is swelling you may need an antibiotic called in.
Not likely. Find a dentist who will see you right away for an emergency appointment.
Antibiotics and painkillers, rinse as well.
It depends on why they are hurting. If they are hurting because they are trying to erupt then there is not much to do except take some ibuprofen. It’s important to take ibuprofen 600mg every 6 hours to keep the inflammation down. If the tooth is hurting because the gums are inflamed due to eruption then you can rinse with salt water 4-5 times daily along with ibuprofen.
For temporary pain relief, you can take over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) for pain as needed. For severe pain, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be taken at the same time using the recommended dose. In addition, avoid using the symptomatic wisdom tooth for chewing, keep the surrounding area as clean as possible. Warm salt water rinses and ice packs can help. Definitely try to get evaluated by a dentist as soon as possible to avoid taking OTC pain medications for prolong period of time.
Knowing the reason for your pain would enable a more accurate answer.
I will assume you have wisdom teeth that are only partially erupted into the mouth. The following answer could be wrong if there is some other reason for your pain.
Partially erupted wisdom teeth will have some gum covering part of the tooth. Food debris and bacteria can collect under this gum and cause a painful infection.
Cleaning the debris from under the gum will help some, but can be painful due to the swelling from the infection. The area is difficult to reach. You may have some success using a water pick type instrument to flush water in the area under the gum. Hydrogen peroxide swished in the area can sometimes bubble stuff out.
A trip to the emergency room for antibiotics can help with the infection.
An advantage of being an established patient of a dentist is that you can call him for an antibiotic prescription.
It can get really bad fast sometimes. The sooner you get to a dentist, the better. Make it a priority.
Good Luck.
I will assume you have wisdom teeth that are only partially erupted into the mouth. The following answer could be wrong if there is some other reason for your pain.
Partially erupted wisdom teeth will have some gum covering part of the tooth. Food debris and bacteria can collect under this gum and cause a painful infection.
Cleaning the debris from under the gum will help some, but can be painful due to the swelling from the infection. The area is difficult to reach. You may have some success using a water pick type instrument to flush water in the area under the gum. Hydrogen peroxide swished in the area can sometimes bubble stuff out.
A trip to the emergency room for antibiotics can help with the infection.
An advantage of being an established patient of a dentist is that you can call him for an antibiotic prescription.
It can get really bad fast sometimes. The sooner you get to a dentist, the better. Make it a priority.
Good Luck.
Wisdom teeth can be really painful. One person in 25 has room for all 4 wisdom teeth. You may have been told when you were younger that you needed to have your wisdom teeth extracted. That's not going to help you now. You may have pressure that is causing pain. Your gum tissues may have food particles beneath the tissue adding to your pain and if a cavity has developed between your wisdom tooth and the one in front of it. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water may flush out debris. Do this often -- more than 5 times a day. Use 1/2 tsp. to an eight ounce glass of water. You may want to talk to your doctor about something for pain. There are over-the-counter pain meds. Pain medication may not or will not take all the pain away, but at least will make the pain more tolerable. If you start to swell, call your doctor. Make sure you are sleeping with your head elevated. When you are in pain, keep track of when you took your last pain med. If you happened to fall asleep and wake up you don't know how long you slept. Writing it down helps you keep track.
Apply an ice cube directly to the gum over the wisdom tooth for 30 minutes (then 30 minutes with no ice). Repeat as needed. You can also rinse vigorously with 1/2 tsp of table salt per 12 oz. warm water (you should get 8 or so rinses per glass). Also as needed.
Unfortunately you will have some discomfort during the time before you can get to your dentist. There is no real good material or drug 2 use other than over the counter like Tylenol or other drugs like that. Best thing is you get into your dentist or your oral surgeon and see what they can do as an emergency.
Depending on the reason for the pain, if just eruption pain use Ibuprofen as directed. If swelling or drainage, get in sooner, this could be an infection. Or if the tooth is sharp maybe they could round an area for you.
