Do you find yourself asking why your dentist won’t prescribe a antibiotics for toothache? It’s likely because toothache is often caused by tooth inflammation rather than infection. Analgesics such as paracetamol and ibuprofen treat inflammatory pain. Antibiotics do not fix the tooth inflammation so aren’t effective for treating toothache.
In some cases, you might have a bacterial infection associated with a dead tooth (a dental abscess). But, antibiotics are still not usually the right treatment. Antibiotics cannot easily get inside the tooth to the root of the infection. The quickest fix is usually to remove the source of the infection using a dental procedure. There are various ways to do this which you should ask your dentist about.
Even when a dental antibiotic is required to treat tooth pain caused by a severe infection, they should be used along with a dental procedure. Taking antibiotics unnecessarily increases the chance that they will not work for an infection in the future. If you were to suffer with sepsis or pneumonia in later life, you will need antibiotic treatment, so why risk antibiotic resistance today?
When you have tooth pain, visit your dentist so they can diagnose the cause. They’ll then offer the most effective solution for treating your toothache. Doctors in GP practices or A&E are not able to diagnose toothache and you are likely to be in pain for longer than if you see a dentist. If you don’t have your own dentist, call NHS111 and they will be able to help you find someone who can provide the care you need.