For many people, the holiday season is full of family gatherings complete with everything from ham and turkey to mashed potatoes and stuffing. It's not the ideal time to experience tooth pain, especially if your regular dentist is keeping shorter hours during the holiday season. Fortunately, you can still enjoy your favorite holiday meal. Learn how to cope with the tooth pain so that you can enjoy your family's holiday celebration.

Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers

Over-the-counter pain medication will help dull any pain you're feeling if you take it correctly. You shouldn't wait until you have severe pain to take the medication. Instead, take your pain reliever before you sit down to eat. This way, it has enough time to start working. Additionally, consider applying numbing gel to the gums surrounding the tooth that is giving your trouble. This will numb the area immediately, allowing you to enjoy your meal while you're waiting for your pain reliever to begin working.

Don't Over Do It

Do you typically overindulge in your favorite holiday foods? A lot of people overeat during the holiday season, even those who don't often indulge in junk food and sweets on a regular basis. However, if you're dealing with tooth pain, over doing it isn't a good idea. You don't need to avoid your favorite holiday foods completely. Simply, limit the amount of food you eat, especially the quantity of sweets and sodas consumed. Additionally, it's common for people experiencing tooth pain to be overly sensitive to food and beverages that are too hot or cold. So, wait for your food and drinks to get closer to room temperature before you dig in.

Fast Pain Solutions

While it's important to take precautions that could possibly prevent unnecessary tooth pain completely, you also need to be prepared for any pain you do experience after you eat. After all, even if you feel like you're completely prepared for your feast, you still might have excessive tooth pain after your meal. If you need a quick fix, try resting with an ice pack on your cheek to relieve the pain or gargling warm salt water after you eat to wash away any food particles in your mouth.

The holiday season is supposed to be a joyous and festive time. Don't let unwanted tooth pain ruin your celebration. Take the precautions needed to help prevent tooth pain after you eat, and make an appointment with your dentist for proper treatment as soon as possible.