Do you have a toothache and are thinking about what you should do about it? While it is important that you find out the reason for your toothache and resolve it, there are several mistakes that you should avoid so that you don’t aggravate it further.

In particular, here are five of the most common mistakes that you should try to avoid:

• Pressing your hand on the aching tooth

Placing your hand on the aching tooth (or the cheek area near it) and exerting some pressure may seem to provide some relief. However in the long term the warmth and pressure that it provides will make the swelling worse and increase the risk of pus formation.

Instead of using your hand, you should place a cold compress over the affected area. It will help reduce the swelling and pain.

• Consuming the wrong types of food and drinks

When you have a toothache you need to steer clear of food and drinks that may aggravate the area further. That includes foods that are too hard, sticky, or chewy as well as too hot or too cold.

• Self-medicating the pain alone

There is nothing wrong with taking over-the-counter painkillers to cope with a toothache. However you should be clear that it will only take care of the symptoms and you still need to visit a dentist to identify the cause of your toothache and get it treated.

If you do want to self-medicate, you should only do so after you’ve booked a dental appointment. Additionally you should only use over-the-counter medication and not rely on past dental experiences to try other medications.

• Chewing with the unaffected side of your mouth

Although it is completely normal to chew with the unaffected side of your mouth when you have a toothache, that isn’t something you want to continue to do for the long term. It will increase plaque production on that side, and could also lead to complications involving your jaw joints.

Simply put it is fine to chew with the unaffected side of your mouth for a few days while waiting for your dental appointment – but not more than that.

• Postponing your dental appointment

If your toothache isn’t all that painful you may be tempted to postpone your dental appointment. That’s a bad idea, and it is likely to make the problem worse and allow it to spread.

The best thing to do is to visit a dentist near Llantrisant or a location nearby as soon as possible so that the issue can be resolved quickly.

All said and done it shouldn’t be too hard to avoid all five of the mistakes listed above – especially now that you’re aware of them. If you do avoid these mistakes you’ll be able to minimize the risk of the problem getting worse, and may even be able to reduce the discomfort caused by your toothache.

Of course if you have any doubts your best course of action is to consult your dentist and ask them what you should or should not be doing.