Toothache is a fairly common dental problem and the majority of our patients may encounter it at some point in their lives. It’s generally caused by the tooth becoming compromised in some way, either through poor oral maintenance allowing cavities to form, or in some cases a severe infection creating havoc with the inner pulp or root of the tooth.

If you’re experiencing some particular nasty discomfort in your teeth and you’re not sure what to do, then here’s how our emergency dentist in Edinburgh could help you.

Diagnose the source of discomfort

One of the first steps our emergency dentist in Edinburgh will usually take when our patients come in to the practice with severe or intense toothache, is to try to diagnose the source of your pain. This could be in the form of a visual and physical inspection of the teeth and gums for signs of infection or inflammation.

If there are none present they may also perform X-rays of the area to check that the inside of the tooth or the bone is not at risk as well.

 Provide antibiotics

Generally removing a tooth is our last resort, so our emergency team may work in tandem with your GP to provide a course of antibiotics to fight and hopefully reduce the signs of any infection that could be putting your teeth and gums at risk. Usually antibiotics are prescribed for a few days to see how the infection takes to them and to allow your regular dentist to have a look at the problem.

Extraction of the compromised tooth

In the event that the antibiotics don’t take or if a tooth is too far gone and it’s starting to put other teeth, your gums or potentially even the bone of your jaw at risk, then an extraction is usually the goal. This can be performed by our emergency team or your regular dentist depending on the case.

Should the tooth need to be pulled then we would normally provide a local anaesthetic to numb the area first. At Polwarth Dental Clinic our talented team of emergency practitioners will try to limit any discomfort felt during your extraction as much as they possibly can, to make the removal of a troublesome tooth a little easier for you.

Referral to specialist practitioners

Although it is rare, there may be instances when we would refer you to outside specialists for treatment or for more complicated techniques.

For example, if a patient required a stronger anaesthetic for the procedure involved in removing or trying to save a tooth. In the event that you require a referral then we would normally discuss this with you beforehand to find the approach that works well for your particular problem.

These are just a few of the various ways in which our emergency team can help with a tooth that’s causing you severe pain. For further advice on how we can help with toothache or to schedule an appointment for your own dental discomfort, then get in touch with our team at the practice as soon as you can.