Brushing and flossing your teeth twice daily keeps your mouth clean to prevent common oral issues, like cavities and gum disease. However, there’s no guarantee that you’ll never experience a dental emergency.
For instance, you might develop a severe toothache in the evening or over the weekend when your dentist’s office is closed. Unfortunately, if your discomfort is overly intense, you might struggle to fall asleep or rest peacefully. Continue reading to learn 3 tips for sleeping through a toothache to help you get through the night!
Tip #1: Rest In a Recliner
Have you noticed that the throbbing sensation in your troublesome tooth intensifies when you lie down horizontally to try to doze off? This is likely because the change in position allows additional blood to pool behind it, increasing the pressure that’s placed on the sensitive nerves inside.
Thankfully, you can reduce this effect by sleeping in your favorite recliner so that your head remains positioned above your heart, allowing gravity to work in your favor to help you feel more comfortable. If you don’t have the right furniture, don’t worry! You can achieve a similar impact by propping your head on a few pillows piled at an angle.
Tip #2: Rinse With Salt Water
If you’re unsure why your pearly white is hurting, or if it feels loose or destabilized, you could risk damaging or dislodging it if you brush and floss your teeth. Not only that, but the bristles and string might trigger swelling or adverse sensations in the tender tissues inside your mouth when you’re already feeling sensitive.
You can clean your mouth more gently by rinsing it with warm salt water. This can naturally disinfect bacteria, remove leftover food or other debris, and draw out the excess fluid that’s applying painful pressure on the nerve of your tooth.
Tip #3: Address Discomfort
You might not be able to control the circumstances that led to your toothache, but fortunately, there are things you can do to reduce its impact. For instance, it’s usually safe to take over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen, to enjoy some much-needed relief.
You might also try applying an ice pack to the sore side of your face for about 15 minutes at a time for a temporary numbing sensation that might help you feel comfortable long enough to finally drift to sleep.
Then, when you wake in the morning, you can contact your dentist to schedule an emergency visit. Many providers offer same-day visits and multiple types of sedation so that you don’t have to wait long for relief!
About the Practice
At Longmont Complete Dentistry, people of all ages benefit from a team of dentists eager to help families build and maintain happy, healthy smiles. They share more than 20 years of combined experience and collaborate to provide a comprehensive menu of services to meet all your needs under one roof, including same-day emergency visits. Then, they combine their caring approach with state-of-the-art technology to improve patient comfort while delivering accurate results intended to last. If you have a toothache and need help, you can request an appointment on the website or call (303) 772-7000.