Severe Tooth Pain in the Middle of the Lockdown?

What should I do if a severe toothache strikes in the middle of the night during COVID-19? Shall I delay visiting the dentist and just use pain-killers?

We sat with Dr Vaidehi Ranganath, a respected endodontist practicing in Dubai, to get tips and advices on how to deal with dental emergencies during Coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Vaidehi Ranganath

Dentist
Dr. Paul's Dental Clinic, Oud Metha

Are dental clinics available for routine dental procedures during COVID-19?

Generally speaking, dental clinics are not open to attend to routine dental procedures. We are in the middle of a pandemic and the dental care is not the top priority for every one of us. But if toothache strikes, and you get severe pains especially in the middle of the night, then your priority can dramatically change.

What shall I do if I have a severe tooth pain

Don’t panic if you have any pain, please call the emergency hotline of the clinic and speak to your dentist. They will decide whether it requires emergency treatment in the clinic or you can manage at home.

When pain strikes, it is not recommended to take pain killers for an extended period of time. But if you have throbbing pain then some inflammation will set in, and hence it is a good idea to take a mild pain killer to reduce the inflammation.

Having said that, children below 16 years cannot take some pain killers like aspirin. They have to have some alternate pain killer. If you have gum swelling, then it’s better to avoid hot beverages and increase the pain, because some people get relief by taking hot beverages. So it is ideally advisable not to take hot beverages and soups because inflammation could increase.

And, it is a good idea to take a mild anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or paracetamol after taking some food and not on an empty stomach.

Again, if you have any pre-conditions like asthma or any other allergies to pain killers, it is best to avoid the pain killers.

But if you have swollen gums and high temperature or a bad taste in your mouth, and pain while eating, it is best to talk to your dentist again. Do not take pain killers and postpone the dental treatment.

What are your advices to keep teeth healthy during COVID-19

It is also very important how you care for the toothbrush, dental floss and tongue cleaner. They have to be kept separately, in a sealed container so it does not come into contact with any other person in your room or in your house. It should not be in contact with others because that itself will cause transmission of diseases from person to person. And if you keep it sealed in a container, it is in a very clean area and your tooth will get the maximum hygiene there.

I do advise them not to binge on energy drinks as these energy drinks have double the amount of acid compared to the normal colas. The energy drinks can dissolve the enamel due to the excessive acid in your mouth and it takes 30 minutes to reverse the effect of the acid on the enamel. On top of this, the acidity could also cause severe gastric acidity and this could cause some grinding of the teeth.

If you have any wisdom tooth concerns where half of the tooth is peeping out and half of the tooth is inside, then you have to have very severe home care measures by gargling with salt water every night without fail and keeping that area of that food lodgment very careful.

You should not use mouth washes for an extended period of time especially if it has alcohol. The mouth washes can cause dryness of your gums and other diseases in your mouth by altering the microbial flora, hence mouth washes can be used for a maximum of one week and then later on you switch to salt water gargle. It is much safer to keep your mouth healthy.

*Disclaimer: Please consider the information in this video/article most recent as per date and medical recommendations towards COVID-19 may change as the situation evolves.