It is absolutely essential that those experiencing toothache visit the dentist for diagnosis and treatment. If the pain is caused by injury or disease, for example, their situation may worsen over time, eventually leading to tooth loss. However, minimising the symptoms and understanding triggers of dental pain can help alleviate its intensity in the meantime.
Triggers of toothache
Avoiding common triggers such as cold food and drink, sweet food, biting down, or other pressure, whilst waiting for an emergency appointment can help reduce the intensity of the pain felt by patients. The NHS recommends eating soft foods, and avoiding chewing with the sore tooth, as well as using a soft toothbrush to help reduce pressure on the problem area, whilst still removing bacteria. It also suggests avoiding foods that are sweet, very hot, or very cold, as well as not smoking, to prevent the problem getting worse.
Management at home
Often, patients may opt to take pain killers like paracetamol or ibuprofen to manage their toothache, however, these can take time to start working, and may not be the most effective way to relieve pain. Instead, recommend that patients use Orajel, the dental gel which contains benzocaine, for rapid relief in under two minutes. Not only does it work quickly, but it enables patients to deliver the gel exactly where it’s needed, for targeted relief.
Orajel comes in a number of different forms, ensuring patients can get the type of relief they need, when it’s needed. These are:
Orajel Dental Gel
This delivers rapid relief from dental pain when and where it’s most needed. It contains 10% benzocaine to reduce pain caused by a broken tooth, or a tooth in need of a filling until patients are able to attend the practice. Up to four times per day, patients are able to apply the powerful local anaesthetic directly to the source of the pain, blocking pain signals along the nerves, numbing the area.
Orajel Extra Strength
For acute toothache, recommend Orajel Extra Strength. It contains 20% benzocaine, the maximum level available without a prescription in the Orajel range. Similarly to Orajel Dental Gel, it enables patients to deliver the local anaesthetic to a targeted area, for rapid pain relief, and can be applied up to four times per day.
Orajel Mouth Gel
Designed specifically for relief from mouth ulcers and denture pain, Orajel Mouth Gel contains 10% benzocaine to provide relief right at the source of pain. It is suitable for use up to four times daily, for no longer than four days.
Orajel Sensitivity ProShield Toothpaste
For patients experiencing sensitivity, recommend that they use Orajel Sensitivity ProShield Toothpaste to reduce sensitivity, repair the enamel, and reduce plaque.
Emergency phone messaging
Patients may seek assistance with dental pain at any time of the day or night, as such it’s important to have information available to them when they need it most. Should a patient phone the practice out of hours, seeking emergency care, providing a helpful and informative answerphone message can help them to effectively manage their pain until they can be seen. In this message, advise patients to avoid the triggers mentioned above and use the appropriate Orajel product for their specific concern.
For more information, and to see the full range of Orajel products, please visit https://www.orajel.co.uk/