Never give a shot to live with cavity pain.
Left untreated, the decay can spread to the entire tooth and start to affect adjacent teeth as well.
The cold compress or ice pack should only be applied for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.
Verywell / JR Bee
Always place a cloth barrier between the ice pack and your skin to preventfrostbite.
Tylenol is not an NSAID but has analgesic properties similar to NSAIDs.
Try Clove Oil
Clove oil contains a volatile agent calledeugenolthat has a numbing effect.
Keep Your Mouth Clean
Do not avoid brushing or flossing if you have a cavity.
Doing so allows damaging bacteria to remain in your mouth, further eroding teeth and potentially causing other cavities.
When brushing, use the softest toothbrush possible.
Avoid vibrating toothbrushes and water flossers that can make the pain worse.
it’s possible for you to also trydental flossdesigned for sensitive teeth.
After brushing and flossing, rinse your mouth with warm saltwater.
It is not only soothing but also helps to kill bacteria.
Swish the salt water around your mouth for about 30 seconds.
Spit out and do not swallow.
Numbing gels typically work for pain on the surface of the tooth (not deep inside the tooth).
Apply the gel directly on the painful tooth.
Fill It at Home
Some pharmacies sell OTC filling material that can temporarily seal a cavity.
With that said, ask your dentist before using any filling material.
Overpacking the cavity may increase pressure within the pulp and make the pain worse.
It may also trap bacteria that will continue to grow and promote the formation of an abscess.
Products like DenTek and Dentemp are used as interim solutions until dental treatment can be delivered.
How Do Cavities Cause Pain?
A cavity is a hole in a tooth that develops due totooth decay.
It forms when acids in your mouth erode your tooth’s hard outer layer, called theenamel.
Poor dental hygieneis the primary cause of this.
The bacteria in plaque produce the acid that can harm enamel and cause cavities.
The invasion will trigger aninflammatory reactionas the immune system tries to control the infection.
Throbbing pain is often a sign of a pocket of pus called atooth abscess.
The resulting pain is not only throbbing but persistent and will almost invariably get worse until treatment is delivered.
The damage won’t repair itself, so the pain will surely rebound.
Summary
A cavity needs to be treated by a dentist.
Avoid hot, cold, sugary, or acidic food and drinks.
An OTC dental filler may be used as a temporary measure.
Gupta M.Sugar substitutes: mechanism, availability, current use and safety concerns-an update.Open Access Maced J Med Sci.
Christianson TM, Morris K.6.4 Special diets.
In:Personal Care Skills for Health Care Assistants.
Kamloops (BC): Thompson Rivers University; 2023.
Alberta Health Services (Canada).Abscessed tooth: care instructions.
American Dental Associations.Oral analgesics for acute dental pain.
2016;7(2):131-139. doi:10.4103/0976-237X.183066
MedlinePlus.Clove.
National Institute of Aging.Taking care of your teeth and mouth.
International Journal of Dental Clinics.Salt water rinse for gums: is it effective?
2017 Dec 19;30(1):26. doi:10.1016/j.sdentj.2017.12.004
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.Tooth decay.
2018 Jul 31;12:520528. doi:10.2174/1874210601812010520
National Health Services (UK).Dental abscess.