When a patient presents with toothache, there are a number of potential causes, sometimes requiring complex treatments. As such, patients may have to wait a number of days, or even longer, for treatment. When this is the case, dental professionals must provide advice to help make patients comfortable whilst they wait.
As part of this, it’s important to recognise the different causes of toothache, patients’ priorities for pain relief, and the most effective forms of pain killer. In doing so, pain during the wait for treatment can be kept to a minimum.
Causes of toothache
When the dental pulp becomes exposed, irritated, or inflamed, patients may experience toothache. This can happen for a number of reasons, including decay, dental fractures, gingival recession, or loose dental fillings. Usually, toothache presents as a pain in a tooth, however patients may also experience sharp, throbbing, or constant pain, tooth pain only when pressure is applied, gingival inflammation, bad taste in the mouth (due to infection), and fever or headache.
Patients who present with toothache should be made aware of the potential triggers to avoid whilst they wait for treatment, in order to minimise their pain. These triggers may include consuming cold foods or drinks (such as ice cream or cold water), sweet foods (which could cause or worsen decay), and biting down as pressure can worsen dental pain.
Patients’ priorities for relief
When toothache strikes, fast relief is a patient’s top priority, with 63% of patients prioritising speed in pain relief.[i] Only 16% of patients find oral analgesics to act quickly on toothache, typically taking up to an hour to act.[ii]
As such, it’s important that practitioners offer alternative solutions to better target pain at the source. Orajel™ Dental Gel provides rapid relief in under two minutes, providing patients with the solution they need to tackle acute dental pain.
Orajel™ as a targeted solution
Orajel™ Dental Gel gives patients complete control over their dental pain, enabling them to apply benzocaine – a powerful local anaesthetic – directly to the painful area. It contains 10% benzocaine for rapid relief, providing temporary comfort from toothache pain for up to two hours, enabling patients to manage their pain before they are assessed by a dental professional.
Orajel™ Extra Strength formula contains 20% benzocaine – the maximum level available without a prescription – to provide rapid relief of acute toothache. Additionally, Orajel™ Mouth Gel provides effective relief from mouth ulcer and denture pain, with its 10% benzocaine formula offering relief directly at the affected site. Patients have complete control over the gels, enabling easy application for targeted application.
How it works
Benzocaine is clinically proven to block pain signals at the nerve, preventing transmission of pain impulses, providing quick and effective relief from common causes of discomfort.
It is absorbed rapidly through the oral mucosa, enabling a fast onset while targeting dental pain at its source. This means that practitioners can help make patients comfortable prior to dental treatment, effectively managing their pain from home.
Benzocaine works by blocking the nerve signals. It reversibly binds to and inhibits sodium channels in nerve cell membranes, stopping the conduction of nerve impulses and reducing the likelihood of pain signal transmission.
As Orajel™ is a gel, it can act precisely at the application site to deliver pain relief exactly where it’s needed. Intended for patients aged 12 and above for short term use, it is a suitable solution for a wide range of patients.
When a patient is in pain, dental professionals first instinct is to help. However, when immediate treatment is not possible, it’s important to provide a temporary but effective solution to help them manage their pain. Standard painkillers are often not effective for dental pain, taking a long time to act. As such, offering a topical solution for immediate and targeted pain relief is ideal in the majority of cases, helping patients feel comfortable whilst they wait for a permanent solution.
For essential information, and to see the full range of Orajel™ products, please visit https://www.orajelhcp.co.uk/
[i] Orajel Consumer and HCP insights.
[ii] Hersh, EV, et al. An evaluation of 10 percent and 20 percent benzocaine gels in patients with acute toothache. J Am Dent Assoc. 2013;144(5):517–526.
