Dull toothache

[Andy 09]

Hi

I had a back tooth filled a few months ago and initially the tooth was sensitive after the filling was placed but then after a few weeks, the pain settled down.

However over the last few days, I have been getting this dull toothache from that tooth that seems to be almost non-stop. I have taken paracetamol and Ibuprofen but none of these have touched the pain yet. Last night the tooth pain was so severe that I could not sleep at all.

I would like you to tell me what I need to do to stop this terrible toothache which is driving me crazy. Are there any stronger drugs available that I should be taking? Do I need to have the tooth removed or can it be kept? What sort of dental treatment does it need if it can be saved?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

Toothache in a lot of cases is caused by an inflammed pulp and if this is the case, the fastest way to stop the pain is to either carry out pulp extipation (root canal stage 1) or tooth extraction. Whenever possible its better to save teeth rather than remove them but obviously this depends on the state of the tooth and your wishes.

I would recommend that you book an emergency appointment with the dentist on-call by calling 0208 547 9997 and getting him/her to have a look at the tooth and see what can be done to stop the pain.