If you’re currently suffering from a toothache, you may be finding it difficult to get the rest you deserve at night. Your emergency dentist can help you achieve lasting relief, but until then, it’s important to take whatever measures you can to manage your pain so that you can get some sleep. Below are 4 helpful tips for making sure your toothache stays under control when you go to bed.
1. Prop Up Your Head
Does it seem like your tooth pain gets worse at night? This may be a result of blood pooling in your head when you lie down to go to sleep. To prevent this from happening, you should make sure that your head stays elevated while you’re in bed. An easy way to do this is to sleep on a stack of pillows; alternatively, you can simply use one particularly thick pillow.
2. Take Some Pain Medication
In many cases, taking an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen can be an effective way to alleviate your tooth pain at night. Remember, it’s typically a good idea to speak to a pharmacist before taking any sort of medication bought without a prescription; they’ll be able to help you figure out whether a given pain reliever is safe to use in your specific situation.
3. Be Careful of What You Eat at Night
Depending on the cause of your toothache, eating certain kinds of foods could potentially make the discomfort worse. In particular, foods that are acidic or cold are known to aggravate tooth pain. Be mindful of the kinds of foods that can worsen your toothache so that you can make a point of avoiding them before your normal bedtime.
4. Use an Ice Pack
Toothaches can sometimes result in painful swelling of the gums. However, if you apply an ice pack to the area for 15-minute intervals, you can keep the swelling down and alleviate your pain. As such, you may want to consider using an ice pack shortly before heading to bed.
How Can You Put a Stop to Your Toothache for Good?
The tips listed above are all temporary solutions for managing your toothache at night. If you want to put a stop to your pain for good, you will need to see your dentist as quickly as possible. Once they figure out what’s causing your toothache, they can point you toward your best option for treatment. For example, if your discomfort is the result of an infection, a root canal treatment could be the best way to relieve your pain and save the tooth.
A severe toothache is probably one of the last things you want to have to deal with when you’re trying to sleep, but if you follow the right steps, you can soothe your pain long enough to get the rest you need.
About the Author
Dr. Matthew McKissock went to the University of Florida College of Dentistry, and he completed a residency in advanced general dentistry at Fort Carson in Colorado. He is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry, and he has previously served as a dentist in the US military. At Windermere Dentistry, he provides root canal treatments and other solutions for urgent dental issues. If you need to schedule an emergency visit with Dr. McKissock for a toothache, you can request an appointment by calling (407) 909-1099.