Pain and Its Source in the Same Night: Two Separate Jobs
Stopping the pain is not the treatment; treating what produces it is.
What a painkiller can and cannot do
A painkiller suppresses the signal inflammation produces; it does not remove the inflammation or the decay, fracture or infection behind it. When the tablet wears off the pain returns, and over time it lasts less — which is not a good sign but a sign the problem is advancing.
When the pulp is inflamed, pressure builds in a closed chamber and the pain comes from that pressure; no drug releases it. Likewise, a painkiller does not stop an abscess at the root tip from spreading. A tooth that has fallen silent after tablets has usually gone quiet, not healed.
How the source is reached the same night
Once examination and the radiograph identify the source, it can be tackled the same night. In pulpitis the pulp chamber is opened under anaesthesia and the pressure released — faster and far more lasting than any tablet, and the first step of root canal treatment. An abscess is drained, easing both pain and swelling.
With wisdom teeth the pain usually comes from infection under the gum flap covering the tooth; the area is cleaned and irrigated, with medication added where needed. For a fracture or a lost filling, the exposed dentine is covered so the stimulus stops. In every case the definitive step is planned separately.
What can be done about the source that night
- Opening the pulp under anaesthesia and releasing the pressure
- Starting the first session of root canal treatment
- Draining an abscess and irrigating the area
- Cleaning under the gum flap around a wisdom tooth
- Covering exposed dentine with a temporary filling
- Smoothing a sharp fractured edge
- Urgent extraction where the tooth cannot be saved
Before You Arrive from Uncali: What to Do in the First Hour
What you can do before setting out from Uncali does not replace treatment, but it keeps the situation from worsening and buys you time.
Before leaving Uncali
What you should do before setting out from Uncali depends on your complaint, and detailed first-aid steps for each are on the relevant page. On the way from Emergency in Uncali, 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 Uncali
Calling as you set out from Uncali does two things: you receive first-aid guidance suited to your situation, and the radiograph and surgery are prepared while you travel. For patients coming from across Konyaalti, this arrangement noticeably shortens the wait.
What an Emergency Visit Covers for a Patient from Uncali
For a patient attending as an emergency from Uncali, the aim is to stop the pain and the infection; definitive work is left to a planned appointment.
Completed the same night for Uncali
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 Uncali as well.
Left to a later visit for Uncali
For a patient from Emergency in Uncali, 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 Uncali, these are combined according to your journey and given to you in writing, so you do not have to travel from Konyaalti repeatedly.
