It’s highly likely that you’ve experienced the agonizing pain of a toothache at some point in your life. But what might surprise you s that estimates show that approximately 8% of children suffer from toothache every month!

It can be difficult to deal with the severe pain caused by a toothache as an adult, but for a child it must seem like the end of the world. As a parent, you’ll want to do anything you can to help them.  

The first step is to book an appointment, whether you use a dentist in bankstown or one in Sydney, it doesn’t matter! You simply need to get the toothache checked before it becomes a bigger issue.

While you are waiting for your appointment you can reduce the trauma to your child using one of these three methods:

• Saline Solution

Simply boil your kettle and place a teaspoon of salt in half a glass of hot water. Stir it to ensure it dissolves and then you can add a little drop of cold to make the water warm enough for your child to handle.

They must then take a reasonable sized sip and swish the liquid round their mouth, particularly where the toothache is. The warm water will help to ease the pain and sooth any inflammation. The salt will kill any bacteria helping to prevent any infection from occurring.

It is essential that the water is spat out; your child must not swallow it!

• Clove Oil

Cloves have been used throughout history to treat pain and other medical issues. As an adult you can simply place a clove on the affected tooth, it will quickly go numb.

However, this might be too much for your child. Instead you can give them clove oil on a cotton bud. This can then be dabbed round the affected tooth and onto the tooth. This will ease the pain by numbing this area of their mouth.

• Cold Compress

It is also a good idea to make a cold compress  or even an ice pack wrapped in a towel and place this in the outside of your child’s face, over the area of the toothache. The cold will prevent their mouth from swelling, which is especially beneficial if the toothache is a result of trauma.

The coldness will also numb the tooth and help with the pain.

If none of these solutions have managed to get rid of the pain your child is experiencing then it is possible to give them an over the counter medicine. However, you must follow the dose on the medication and you should make a note of what you have given them; your dentist will need to know.

Once you have reduced the pain it is important to prevent your child from knocking that area of their mouth and, if possible, they should refrain from eating and causing more pain. Of course, this will depend on how long you need to wait for your appointment.

Photo by 囧斯基