Introduction
Since toothaches do not only occur during the opening hours of dental practices, the patients concerned often have to seek relief themselves first. Nevertheless, if the toothache persists, a dentist should be consulted promptly, the cause determined and a suitable therapy started. For the temporary treatment of toothache, various painkillers such as paracetamol are available to the affected patient.
In addition to medications, there are also various home remedies for toothache that provide relief. Among the painkillers recommended by most dentists are paracetamol and ibuprofen. Taking aspirin should be avoided when toothache occurs, as this painkiller causes the blood to thin, which can increase the risk of bleeding or secondary bleeding if surgery is necessary.
Toothache can occur for various reasons and can be extremely stressful for the person affected. When toothache occurs, it is important to remember that the annoying throbbing is merely a symptom of various diseases. Typical causes for the development of toothache are carious defects of the teeth and inflammatory processes in the area of the gums or the periodontium.
However, the cause of toothache can also be located outside the oral cavity. Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses or general colds often also cause toothache. Especially if it can be observed that the pain is intensified when bending down or bending forward, it can generally be assumed that no disease of the teeth or the periodontium is the cause.
Toothache and paracetamol
Paracetamol is of limited use in the short-term treatment of toothache. This is due to the fact that the active ingredient paracetamol, in addition to pain relief (analgesic effect), can above all have a fever-reducing effect (antipyretic effect). Paracetamol is particularly suitable for the treatment of headaches, but toothache cannot always be relieved by taking this active substance.
The reason for this is that toothache is usually provoked by the presence of inflammatory processes within the oral cavity. Many painkillers, such as some ibuprofen or aspirin, have an anti-inflammatory component in addition to their analgesic and fever-reducing effect. However, this effect is hardly or not at all detectable with the active substance paracetamol. In addition, paracetamol has an extensive list of possible side effects that should be taken into account before taking it.
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