My teeth hurt. Should I go to the dentist?

Why do my teeth hurt?

A toothache is any amount of tooth pain from a small twinge to a severe, consistent throbbing.

There are several signs that, coupled with your toothache, point to oral infection:

• Foul taste in your mouth or bad breath
• Fever
• Swelling around the tooth
• Facial swelling
• Bleeding in your mouth

Different factors that may be causing your tooth to feel painful include:

• Trauma to the tooth or surrounding tissue
• Abscessed tooth
• Infected nerve
• Damaged dental work
• Infections in the mouth
• Tooth decay
• Teeth grinding

What to Do

If you are experiencing tooth pain, the first thing to do is to quell any bleeding using gauze. If the tooth (or a piece of a tooth) has been lost, try to locate it. Once found, dust off any debris (do not rinse with water).

If possible, place the tooth carefully into the socket, and bite down gently. If you’re not able to push the tooth back into the socket, add some milk to a lidded container and place the tooth inside. This may help preserve the tooth and make it more likely that your dentist will be able to replace it.

Bookmark our website or search “dentist near me” in your favourite search engine and we will likely pop up.

If you have experienced trauma to the tooth that has caused a fracture or breakage, or if you are in severe pain that you are unable to manage yourself, call our office as soon as you are comfortable and safe. We will make room for you in our schedule as soon as possible for emergency dental treatment.

If your case is less severe, here are some other things you can do to manage your discomfort until your appointment time:

• Rinse your mouth using salt water
• Record your pain
• Keep your teeth clean
• If the tooth is broken, apply a piece of gauze over the jagged edge of the tooth

If you have a toothache and you're unsure if it's a dental emergency, contact our Woodbridge dentists as soon as possible before coming in.