What if you have a dental emergency and it’s the middle of the night?

We often get calls first thing in the morning from people who’ve suffered without sleep all night from a toothache.

Here’s some important things to keep in mind if you have a dental pain (toothache) and can’t get urgent immediate attention –

Avoid placing a tablet of aspirin, paracetamol etc directly on the tooth or gum. This can cause a chemical burn, which will make things worse!
Try over-the-counter painkillers if you have them at home, but read the instructions to make sure you don’t take too many. Taking too many tablets on an empty stomach can also give you stomach problems later too.
Some toothache respond well to cold packs – or heat packs, depending on what kind of pain you have
Rinsing with warm (not boiling) water with some salt dissolved in it may give some relief