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Step 1
Call a dentist immediately. An infection caused by a cavity can go into the bone. You need to treat an infection caused by cavities immediately, before it spreads.
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Step 2
Swish your mouth with body temperature salt water to help soothe your mouth. You may also need to take an aspirin or two to control the pain. While these don't treat the cavity, they do ease the pain.
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Step 3
Use clove oil to help with the pain as you wait to get to the dentist. The oil use is an old practice to help ease the pain of a toothache.
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Step 4
Get antibiotics to help clear the infection. Most dentists will prescribe an antibiotic if they discover an infection, but you can request antibiotics if yours doesn't.
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Step 5
See a periodontist if your dentist recommends a root canal. She may refer you to a periodontist to remove the infected pulp from the tooth once the infection is under control.
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Step 6
Get a crown if your tooth isn't badly damaged, or have it removed if it is damaged. If you have the tooth extracted then no root canal is necessary. Otherwise, the damaged tooth will have to have a crown or a cap.
