Toothache in Baku: what to do
Toothache often starts without warning. If it is severe, call during appointment hours (Monday–Saturday, 09:00–15:00), or in the morning if it starts at night: with a free slot, a same-day visit is possible.
Ask for the price: Toothache and urgent dental careThe exact price is clear after the examination.
Does this sound familiar?
- My tooth hurts badly and painkillers do not help
- My gum or cheek is swollen
- My tooth has been hurting since last night
- My tooth broke and a sharp edge cuts my tongue
- My filling fell out and the tooth hurts
- My tooth is loose or knocked out after a blow
If a swelling grows fast towards the eye, the neck or under the jaw, you have a temperature, it is hard to swallow or breathe, you cannot open your mouth, or bleeding after a blow does not stop, do not wait for a dentist: call 103.
Why does a tooth hurt?
Most often the cause is deep decay and an inflamed nerve inside the tooth. Other causes are inflammation at the root, inflamed gums, a broken tooth or a lost filling, and inflammation around a wisdom tooth.
Medicine can ease the pain for a while, but only treatment removes the cause. Antibiotics do not cure inflammation inside a tooth either.
Swollen gum or cheek? Swollen tooth: what to do
How does an urgent visit go?
- Does it hurt
- The tooth is treated under local anaesthetic. Once it works, you usually feel pressure and vibration rather than pain.
Call
If the pain is severe, call right away: if there is a free slot, a same-day visit is possible. Say which tooth hurts, since when, and whether there is swelling.
Examination
The tooth is examined, and you are told in advance what will be done and what it costs.
Relieving the pain
How the pain is relieved depends on the cause: a filling, or the first stage of a root canal.
Until you see a dentist
- Rinse your mouth with warm water and gently remove food stuck between the teeth with floss.
- If you need a painkiller, take only one that suits you and follow the instructions. Do not take antibiotics on your own.
- Do not put aspirin or any other tablet next to the tooth: it burns the gum.
- Do not warm a swollen cheek. You can put something cold on the outside of the face.
- When you lie down, keep your head slightly raised. Night-time pain may ease a little.
What does the price of an urgent visit depend on?
It depends on what needs doing. After the examination you are told in advance what will be done and what it costs.
What changes the price
- An examination and pain relief
- A filling
- The first stage of a root canal
Frequently asked questions
What can I take for toothache?
Painkillers from the pharmacy can ease the pain for a while. Choose one that suits you, follow the instructions on the pack and do not increase the dose. If you have a long-term illness, are pregnant or take other medicines, ask a pharmacist or your doctor. Do not give aspirin to children. Medicine does not remove the cause: the tooth still needs to be seen.
Do I need an antibiotic for a toothache?
Not on your own. Toothache is usually caused by inflammation inside the tooth, and an antibiotic does not cure it: once you stop it, the pain comes back. An antibiotic is only needed when a doctor prescribes it after an examination. If a swelling is spreading and you have a temperature, see a doctor urgently.
What should I do if toothache starts at night?
Rinse with warm water, take a painkiller that suits you if needed, following the instructions, and lie down with your head raised. In the morning, call: if there is a free slot, a same-day visit is possible. If a swelling grows fast, you have a temperature, or it is hard to swallow or breathe, do not wait for the morning: call 103.
When should I come in urgently with toothache?
If the pain is severe and painkillers do not help, your gum or cheek is swollen, a tooth has broken, a filling has fallen out or a tooth is loose after a blow, call right away: if there is a free slot, a same-day visit is possible. If a swelling spreads fast, you have a temperature, or it is hard to swallow or breathe, call 103.
Will it hurt?
The tooth is treated under local anaesthetic. Once it works, you usually feel pressure and vibration rather than pain. Anaesthesia is sometimes harder to achieve in an inflamed tooth: if you feel anything, give the dentist a sign and more anaesthetic is added. Some sensitivity for a day or two afterwards is normal.
What should I do if a tooth is knocked out?
Hold it by the visible part, not the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly under cold water without scrubbing. If you can, put an adult tooth back in its socket and bite on a clean cloth. If not, keep it in milk or inside your cheek. See a dentist at once, within the first hour if possible. Do not put a baby tooth back, but still bring the child in.
How much is an emergency dental visit?
It depends on what needs doing: an examination and pain relief, a filling, or the first stage of a root canal. After the examination you are told in advance what will be done and what it costs. Send a message on WhatsApp with which tooth hurts, since when, and whether there is swelling.
My gum or cheek is swollen from a tooth: what should I do?
A swollen gum or cheek usually comes from inflammation in a tooth and does not go away by itself. Have the tooth seen the same day or as soon as you can. Do not warm the swelling; a cold compress on the outside of the face is fine. Do not take antibiotics on your own. If it spreads towards the eye or neck, or you get a fever, call 103.
Read in more detail
What does the type of pain usually mean?
How the pain starts and how long it lasts often points to the cause. This is only a rough guide: the exact cause is found by an examination and, if needed, a panoramic X-ray or 3D scan.
Sometimes the pain spreads to another tooth, the ear, the temple or the head, so it is hard to tell which tooth hurts. That is normal: the painful tooth can be found at an examination.
- A short twinge with cold or sweet that passes quickly: often decay or an exposed root.
- Lingering pain after cold or heat, or pain that starts on its own at night: often an inflamed nerve.
- Pain when biting or touching, as if the tooth has grown longer: often inflammation at the root tip, sometimes a high filling or a crack.
- Throbbing pain with a swollen gum or cheek An infection with pus. Have it seen the same day.
- Pain behind the last tooth and trouble opening the mouth: often inflammation around an erupting wisdom tooth.
What not to do at home
When the pain is bad, people try everything they have heard of. Some home remedies do nothing, and some make things worse. These are the most common mistakes:
- Rinsing with alcohol or vodka, or putting garlic or salt on the tooth: this burns the inside of the mouth and does not treat the inflammation.
- Pricking or squeezing a swelling The infection can spread deeper.
- Taking painkillers often or raising the dose The pain still comes back, and your stomach and liver can be harmed.
- Giving a child an adult medicine Children need different medicines and doses. Ask a pharmacist.
- Waiting for it to pass Toothache often does not go away on its own. When it does, the cause is still there.
What helps is simple: chew on the other side, avoid very hot, very cold and sweet things, and keep cleaning the tooth gently with a soft brush.
The pain has stopped: do I still need a dentist?
Most often, yes. With an inflamed nerve the pain can suddenly stop. This usually means the nerve has died, not that it has healed. The inflammation quietly moves to the root tip and comes back later as pain on biting or a swelling.
If it was a short twinge that passed quickly, the problem is often small: a filling may be enough. Either way, have the tooth seen. A problem found early is usually simpler to treat.
If the tooth darkens after the pain has gone, that can also be a sign that the nerve has died.
Why do painkillers only mask the pain?
A painkiller dulls the feeling of pain, but it does nothing to the decay, the inflammation or the crack in the tooth. When it wears off, the pain returns, because the cause is still there.
Getting through the days on tablets can seem easier, but the inflammation keeps spreading meanwhile. A problem a filling could fix can turn into one that needs root canal treatment, and a problem root canal treatment could fix can turn into a swelling. So a painkiller is only short-term help until you reach a dentist.
If painkillers no longer help, this is often a sign that the inflammation is getting worse: have the tooth seen straight away.
Other services
Is a tooth hurting right now?
Call right away during appointment hours: if there is a free slot, a same-day visit is possible. You can also send a message on WhatsApp: which tooth, since when, and whether there is swelling.