Toothache on a Weekend in Scottsdale: What to Do Until Monday

Our office is open Monday through Thursday, which means a toothache that starts on a Friday afternoon can feel like a very long wait. Most of the time it can safely wait, and there’s a lot you can do to make the weekend bearable. A few situations can’t wait, and this article starts with those.

When it’s an emergency room visit, not a dental one

A tooth infection can spread into the face and neck. Go to the nearest emergency room, or call 911, if you notice any of these:

• Swelling in the face, jaw or under the tongue that is getting bigger, or spreading toward your eye or down your neck
• Fever or chills along with dental pain or swelling
• Trouble breathing, swallowing or opening your mouth
• Bleeding that won't stop after 15 minutes of firm pressure with gauze
• A hard blow to the jaw, especially if your bite suddenly feels wrong

From our area, the closest hospital emergency department is HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center, about 2.7 miles east of our office on Shea Boulevard. An emergency room can treat a spreading infection and control pain, then you’ll still need a dentist to deal with the tooth itself.

A knocked-out tooth

An adult tooth that has been knocked out has the best chance of being saved if it’s back in place within about an hour. Pick it up by the white crown, not the root. If it’s dirty, rinse it for a few seconds with milk or water, but don’t scrub it. Then gently push it back into the socket and bite on a clean cloth to hold it. If you can’t, keep it in a small cup of milk or inside your cheek and get to a dentist or emergency room straight away.

Don’t put a knocked-out baby tooth back in. Call us on the next open day so we can check the area.

Managing a toothache until Monday

If none of the warning signs above apply, these steps usually take the edge off:

• Rinse with warm salt water (half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water) a few times a day.
• Floss gently around the sore tooth. A trapped piece of food is a surprisingly common cause of sudden pain.
• Hold a cold pack against the outside of your cheek, 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off.
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, following the package directions, if it's safe for you to take.
• Sleep with your head raised on an extra pillow. Pain often feels worse lying flat.
• Avoid very hot, very cold and sugary food and drinks, and chew on the other side.

Don’t hold an aspirin against the gum. It doesn’t help the tooth and can burn the gum tissue.

Broken teeth, lost fillings and loose crowns

If a piece of tooth breaks off, save it if you can find it and rinse your mouth. Sharp edges can be covered with a little sugar-free gum or dental wax from a pharmacy. If a filling falls out or a crown comes loose, pharmacies sell temporary dental cement that will protect the tooth for a few days. Keep the crown in a clean bag and bring it with you, because it can often be cemented back on.

First thing Monday

Call (480) 991-3244 when we open at 9:00 am and tell us what happened. We keep time open for same-day emergency visits whenever we can. For new patients, an emergency exam and X-ray is $89. You’ll find what we treat, and what to expect at the visit, on our emergency dentistry page.

Even if the pain fades over the weekend, still book the visit. A tooth that stops hurting can mean the nerve inside has died, and the infection can keep going without pain.