Emergency Toothache Treatments

Help With Your Painful Toothache

Looking for help with an urgent dental problem on the weekend or in the middle of the night? At Albuquerque Emergency Dentists, we believe that you should not have to wait to get proper emergency dental care. 

Whether you've suffered a sports injury, had an accident or had a flare-up of dental pain, we're here to help, day or night. We are the area's only true 24/7 emergency dental office. Contact us now - same-day appointments are available.

Treating Severe Tooth Pain From a Deep Cavity

I have severe tooth pain that comes and goes, what does that mean?

Many times, patients who experience pain that comes and goes have a highly progressed cavity or a deep cavity. A deep cavity is a cavity that has a significant amount of decay that has almost reached the nerve. The spurts of shooting pain may indicate that an infection is brewing in there. If suddenly, you experience a complete absence of pain, the nerve may already be dead, at which point you’ll need to have that tooth removed.

Diagnosis

If you have a deep cavity (also presented as a hole in the tooth), we need to check the vitality of the tooth before moving forward with a treatment option. To do this, we will simply place an ice-cold cotton swab on the tooth. One of four things will happen:

1. You’ll feel the cold. This is normal and you’ll merely need a filling.
2. You’ll feel more cold than normal and or pain. This is indicative of inflammation, which may or may not be reversible. The treatment for this would be a filling and medicated liner.
3. You’ll feel extreme cold and or pain that lingers. In this case, there is definitely inflammation and it’s not reversible. For this, you will need a root canal.
4. You feel nothing. If this is the case, the tooth is already dead, and you will need a root canal.

You can do this test at home if you’re anxious to know about the vitality of your tooth. You’ll simply need a glass of ice water and a cotton swab. Place the swab against your tooth and note which of the above reactions you experienced. Then call Albuquerque Emergency Dentists to schedule your treatment session.

What happens if I don't treat it right away?

That all depends on the state your tooth is in when you first learn about the cavity. However, no matter the stage the cavity is in, one thing is for certain if you don’t treat it, it will only get worse, and eventually, it will become difficult for us to restore the tooth at all.

If the decay is allowed to reach the center of the tooth where the nerve and blood vessels are located, the pulp will become irritated and infected. This could eventually lead to an abscess, which is both painful and dangerous to your health. At this point, a root canal is your only option. If the cavity is allowed to progress past the abscess stage, there will be nothing left you can do and, sadly, extraction is the only option.

Professional Treatment for Your Tooth Problems

Root canals, extractions, and crowns are all pretty pricey procedures. Replacing a missing tooth is even pricier. That is why we recommend taking care of your dental health and dental problems before they ever get to that point. A cavity that is detected early on can be treated and will do less damage to your tooth, your smile, and your wallet.

If you’re feeling extreme shooting pain that comes in and goes, if you have a hole in your tooth or even if you just suspect that something is severely wrong, don’t hesitate, call Albuquerque Emergency Dentists to discuss your dental problem. We've served the ABQ area since 1993.