When you have a toothache, your focus and attention get diverted to nothing else but the pain. You cannot concentrate and perform any of your regular activities because of your sore tooth. However, despite the hassle and discomfort that a toothache brings, you still don’t want to go to the dentist. Why? Whether your excuse would touch on the cost, time, and convenience of going to your dentist, most people resolve their pain through well-known brands of medication for tooth pain. What are these common toothache medicine and which is the safest and most ideal to use?
Toothache medicine types
There are more than a few types of medications that are used to handle a variety of problems involving the mouth that are part of good oral care. The drugs talked about in this article all have individual or unique pharmacological properties that can be used to treat dental conditions like pain, anxiety, and infections, among others.
It is a vital reminder for patients to always communicate all dental signs and symptoms to their dentist so that suitable management and selection of appropriate medication can be made.
Toothache medicine: Analgesics
There are so many kinds of analgesics, or pain relievers, that are available in the market. However, the ones that are very popular for dental patients as their first-aid option are NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Why are these medications for tooth pain well-liked? Because they do not need prescriptions from your dentist, and they can be bought over the counter. Examples of this common toothache medicine are ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Some countries also use paracetamol not only for the pain but for fever and inflammation, symptoms of infection.
Patients may also use different kinds of analgesics, but it would have to be prescribed by their dentist. Different medication for tooth pain like corticosteroids (triamcinolone or hydrocortisone) and narcotic analgesics like codeine and hydrocodone needs a prescription from the dentist that indicates the dosage and frequency of use.
Toothache medicine: Anaesthesia
Patients who have had experience in using topical anaesthesia may use this type of medication for tooth pain, provided that they follow the previous prescription of the dentist. These topical anaesthetics come in the form of ointment, spray, or liquid. This type of anaesthesia is used to alleviate soreness or discomfort on the surface level of the gums in the mouth. They also can be used to reduce pain from the external sting in the mouth, as well as to numb an area during a dental procedure where a local injectable anesthetic would need to be given. Common types of anaesthetics for pain relief include lidocaine or mepivacaine.
Toothache medicine: Antibiotics
Now, if the two previous types can be used without the dentist’s supervision (as long as it was prescribed beforehand), this type of toothache medicine needs the approval of the dentist first. Once your toothache arises, your dentist will determine the cause of the pain. The results of his assessment would prompt him to prescribe you with the appropriate medicine to fight the infection. The medication for tooth pain will depend on the organism that started the infection. For instance, bacterial infection can be remedied by antibiotics or antibacterials, fungi in the mouth can be killed by antifungals, and so on.
Toothaches, no matter how mild or severe it could be, almost always indicate tooth damage or decay. It is then imperative for us to consult our dentists as soon as we can so we can identify the root cause of the problem and get the appropriate toothache medicine for it. Alleviating the signs and symptoms of an infection or decay is only a temporary solution. We at Emergency Dentist Adelaide would still recommend treating toothache as a dental emergency so that no further damage and complication can happen.