My tooth hurts but my dentist isn't open until Monday. What can i do until then?

My tooth hurts but my dentist isn't open on the weekend.  What can i do?

Lucky for everyone that today there are many dentists who work on the weekend and you can usually find someone working on the weekend.  As a matter of fact, most dentists usually leave a number on their answering machines of someone who can help you out if you have a dental problem.  Having said that, of course there may be a time when you can't find anyone to help you so what do you do?

Here are a few suggestions.

1)  Everyone runs for antibiotics because you can always get your family doctor to prescribe some for you.
If nothing is swollen or if the tooth does not appear elevated then antibiotics will not help.  Remember antibiotics are not pain relievers, they fight infection.  If something is swollen or a tooth feels elevated then antibiotics could help.

2)  Pain revlievers.  Take your Tylenol or Advil or whatever pain reliever tends to work for you.  It may be enough to get you through till Monday.

3)  Tooth sensitive to hot and cold with a big hole.  I have seen temporary filling materials at pharmacies in the U.S. but not in Canada.  If you are in the U.S. you can try placing that in the hole.  In Canada just find something like ortho wax to close the hole.

4)  Throbbing tooth.  Look for some Orajel or any material for teething babies.  These materials usually have topical local anesthetics which may give you some temporary relief.

5)  Broken tooth that is really sharp.  Take a nail file and see if you can gently  file the rough edge before it tears apart you tongue.

These may help or may not help, just remember that these are suggestions that you may consider trying if you can't find a dentist.  Good luck and try to see someone on Monday.

All the best
Dr.Ron Barzilay
www.rondentist.com

Having fun doing dentistry in Hamilton Ontario Canada.