You may find that you have dental pain, but are unable to get to the dentist immediately to relieve the pain. You have options to reduce or ease this pain until your are able to meet with a dentist. You do not have to suffer without relief like our forebears did. However, you may want to take a look at which option is best for your pain.
In general, for the treatment of mild to moderate dental pain, the most appropriate options are:
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� Acetaminophen (Tylenol), 650mg every 4-6 hour as needed for dental pain;
� Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs (Advil, Motrin, Aleve), 400mg every 4-6 hours as needed for dental pain
Acetaminophen
Acetic acid and p-aminophenol, or APAP-commonly known as acetaminophen-is classified as a nonnarcotic pain reliever. Dentists will normally use it for mild to moderate dental pain. The drug acts as both as an agent against pain and fever. Additionally, the drug has rapid painkiller action which you will appreciate when you have dental pain because it can be very acute.
Acetaminophen, unlike nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, has little anti-inflammatory action. It generally is safe for acute dental pain. However, at very high single doses it can cause liver damages. You should be seeing a dentist well before this becomes an issue.
Acetaminophen's dose of 500-650 milligrams is good dental pain-reliever. However, the relief is brief, and will peak one hour after you take the pills. You can get significantly more dental pain relief by acetaminophen's dose of 1,000 mg. This dosage will give you the maximum useful dose of acetaminophen and relief will last up to four hours after you take the pills. Taking a dose higher than 1000 mg will not give you any more relief. Because this is the maximum relief you can achieve with acetaminophen, it becomes a good shot-term reliever for mild dental pain.
NSAIDs
NSAIDs are the traditional treatment for moderate dental pain and inflammation because they treat inflammation unlike acetaminophen. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, ketorolac, flurbiprofen, ketoprofen, diclofenac, aspirin and aspirin derivatives reduce local dental pain. The disadvantage of NSAIDs is that long-term use can cause gastrointestinal distress, bleeding, kidney damages, and cardiovascular problems. Also, NSAIDs have been shown to interact with several high blood pressure drugs, which may cause problems if you are taking drugs for blood pressure control. However, the most common short-term side effects of NSAID usage are upset stomach, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
NSAIDs usually require a higher dose to achieve maximum anti-inflammatory and anti-pain effect. A dosage of 800 mg three times per day may be needed for dental pain. The FDA-recommended daily dose is 2,400 mg. Studies have indicated that no more dental pain relief is achieved by taking more drugs in one 24 hour time period. Comparing to acetaminophen, NSAID's are better pain killer, but they act slower and last about the same time (about 4 hours).
Acetaminophen and NSAIDs are both available over the counter. You may be able to have your dentist call in a prescription for you in order to get stronger pain medication before you see the dentist. However, you will need to have a relationship with the dentist in order to make this a viable option.
In summary, you may want to take acetaminophen or a NSAID as a pain reliever when you have dental pain and can't see the doctor. They both provide relief for 4-6 hours, but acetaminophen acts faster while NSAIDs are usually a better pain killer. Also, if inflammation is an issue you will want to take a NSAID to control your dental pain.
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