What to Do at Home Until You Reach the Clinic
The aim is not to mask the pain but to keep things from worsening on the way.
The first half hour of pain
The first thing to do in severe toothache is to reduce pressure. Raise your head on pillows, since lying flat increases blood pressure in the head and sharpens the pain. Hold a cold compress against the cheek through a thin cloth for about fifteen minutes at a time.
Do not chew on that side and do not probe the tooth with your tongue, a toothpick or a fingernail — every contact irritates inflamed tissue further. Avoid very hot or very cold drinks, and keep cleaning the area gently with a soft brush. A warm salt-water rinse may soothe the soft tissue, but it is relief for the journey, not treatment.
What not to do in the meantime
- Never place aspirin or any tablet against the aching tooth
- Do not apply heat to the cheek — it speeds the spread of swelling
- Do not try to burst, squeeze or pierce a swelling yourself
- Do not start leftover antibiotics on your own decision
- Do not rinse repeatedly if a socket bleeds — it dislodges the clot
- Do not file or cut a sharp broken edge yourself
- Do not take alcohol for pain — it worsens bleeding and drug interactions
What to bring, and the signs that cannot wait
Bring the broken fragment, the crown that came off or the fractured denture: in many cases the piece can be reused and treatment finished in one visit. Bring a list of your medicines, any previous radiographs and your ID.
Some signs call for a hospital emergency department before a dental clinic: swelling spreading towards the eye or neck, difficulty swallowing or breathing, an inability to open the mouth, and fever with malaise. These indicate spreading infection and cannot wait. Otherwise call us directly — telling us as you set out is enough for everything to be ready.
Before You Arrive from Etiler: What to Do in the First Hour
What you can do before setting out from Etiler does not replace treatment, but it keeps the situation from worsening and buys you time.
Before leaving Etiler
What you should do before setting out from Etiler depends on your complaint, and detailed first-aid steps for each are on the relevant page. On the way from Emergency in Etiler, using the wrong measure can make things worse, so it matters which page you read — applying heat to swelling spreads the infection, and placing a painkiller tablet on the tooth burns the gum.
- Toothache
- Dental abscess and facial swelling
- A broken or cracked tooth
- A knocked-out tooth
- Bleeding after an extraction
What calling achieves for Etiler
Calling as you set out from Etiler does two things: you receive first-aid guidance suited to your situation, and the radiograph and surgery are prepared while you travel. For Emergency in Etiler: for patients coming from across Muratpasa, this arrangement noticeably shortens the wait.
What an Emergency Visit Covers for a Patient from Etiler
For a patient attending as an emergency from Etiler, the aim is to stop the pain and the infection; definitive work is left to a planned appointment.
Completed the same night for Etiler
Examination and a radiograph, opening the canal to release pressure, draining an abscess, stopping bleeding, temporarily sealing a broken tooth, splinting a loose tooth and adjusting a poking orthodontic wire are all completed the same night for a patient from Etiler as well.
Left to a later visit for Etiler
For a patient from Emergency in Etiler, completing the root filling, making a crown or onlay, the permanent restoration and the implant and prosthetic stages are done at planned appointments. If you are coming from Etiler, these are combined according to your journey and given to you in writing, so you do not have to travel from Muratpasa repeatedly.
