Dental abscesses, intrusive pockets of pus that develop deep within and under teeth, are both extremely painful and extremely dangerous if you don't go to the dentist immediately. In fact, the waves of pain are so intense that you need to be careful when you're driving so that you don't swerve on the road in response to a particularly intense sensation from a nerve. To cope with the pain from a dental abscess while you're driving to your dentist, use these three tips.

Keep Your Mouth Wide Open To Guard Against A Bump In The Road

While the abscess will push on your tooth and the interior of your gum line no matter what you do, the pressure it exerts will be much more intense if anything hard hits the affected tooth line with any kind of speed. Since a sudden bump in the road could cause your jaw to suddenly jerk upwards or downwards, it's a good idea to keep your mouth as wide open as you can during your trip to the dentist.

No matter how self-conscious you are about other people seeing you through your car windows, don't try to keep your teeth lines open without also opening the rest of your mouth. The strain that this will put on your mouth muscles could cause a cramp, forcing you to move your teeth around quickly to loosen the muscles.

Periodically Spray Some Salt Water Into Your Mouth

Salt water will partially relieve abscess pain by reducing gum swelling around the affected area. Mix some salt into some water and pour the water into a spray can. While you're driving to the dentist, spray the affected part of your mouth whenever the pain suddenly spikes up in intensity. While this isn't as effective a strategy as stopping your car and gargling a full helping of salt water at every sudden onset of pain, it's much faster and less frustrating.

Bring A Paper Bag For Catching Any Blood

Especially if a part of the abscess is very close to the surface of your gum line, you'll never know when it's set to pierce your gums and strew blood all over the place. To ensure that you won't get caught off guard by this sudden mess, bring a small paper bag with you. To avoid the pain of having to wipe most of the blood directly off of your teeth while you're driving, set the bag on your lap and spit in it a few times.

If you're looking for a dentist in your area, visit Bruggeman Dental.

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