24/7 dentist in Tashkent: what to do if a tooth hurts at night

Toothache rarely starts at a convenient time. Most often it comes in the evening or at night: lying down increases blood flow to the head, there is nothing to distract you, and a tooth that only "ached a little" during the day keeps you awake at 2 a.m. The good news: acute pain can almost always be relieved in a single visit. Dentista in Tashkent is open 24/7, including weekends and holidays, so you don't have to wait until morning or Monday.

Below: what to do right now, what you should never do, and when you need to see a dentist immediately.

A tooth hurts right now: what to do in the first 15 minutes

1. Rinse your mouth with warm (not hot) water. This removes food debris that may be pressing on the nerve inside a cavity.
2. Gently clean the area with dental floss. Sometimes "unbearable pain" is just a piece of meat or a nut stuck between teeth.
3. Take a painkiller you have taken before, strictly following the instructions and without exceeding the dose. Swallow it — never put a tablet on the tooth or gum.
4. Apply cold to the outside of your cheek — ice wrapped in cloth or a cold bottle for 10–15 minutes, then take a break.
5. Sleep with your head raised — throbbing is usually weaker on a high pillow.
6. Call the clinic. We'll tell you when to come and see you without a long wait.

Keep in mind that all of this only dulls the pain temporarily. The cause — inflammation inside or around the tooth — does not go away on its own. If the pain stops after a pill, it will come back, usually stronger.

What not to do: it only makes things worse

• Warming the cheek with a heating pad, warm compress or salt. Heat speeds up purulent inflammation and swelling.
• Putting a tablet (aspirin, metamizole) on the tooth or gum. It causes a chemical burn of the mucosa — you get an ulcer on top of the toothache.
• Rinsing with vodka or vinegar, "holding alcohol on the tooth". It does not treat anything and burns the tissue.
• Piercing or squeezing a gum abscess yourself. The infection can spread deeper into facial tissues.
• Taking antibiotics "just in case". Without treating the tooth they don't remove the cause and only blur the picture for the dentist.
• Putting up with it for days. Pulpitis that can be treated in 1–2 visits often turns into periodontitis or an abscess within a week — treatment becomes longer and more expensive.

When to see a dentist immediately

Do not postpone the visit even until morning if you have at least one of these signs:

• the cheek, gum or area under the jaw is swelling, and the swelling grows;
• you have a fever or feel weak;
• the pain is throbbing, keeps you awake, radiates to the ear, temple or eye;
• it hurts to bite down, the tooth feels "too tall";
• it is hard to open your mouth (common with inflammation around a wisdom tooth);
• a tooth is broken or knocked out after an injury;
• bleeding does not stop after a tooth extraction.

If breathing or swallowing becomes difficult, or swelling spreads to the neck, call an ambulance at 103 right away.

If a tooth is knocked out: hold it by the crown, not the root, don't scrub it, put it in milk or saline and come as fast as you can — the first 1–2 hours decide whether it can be saved.

Why a tooth hurts: common causes and treatment

• Deep caries. Pain from cold or sweet food that passes in a few seconds. Treatment: cleaning the cavity and a filling, usually in one visit.
• Pulpitis (nerve inflammation). Strong spontaneous pain, especially at night, radiating to the ear or temple. Treatment: root canal treatment; the pain is relieved at the first visit.
• Periodontitis and abscess. Pain when biting, possible swelling and fever. Treatment: the dentist opens the tooth to drain the infection, then treats the canals; if the tooth can't be saved, it is removed.
• Crack or chip. Sharp pain when chewing. Treatment: a restoration or a crown, depending on how deep the crack is.
• Inflammation around a wisdom tooth. The gum behind the last tooth hurts, it's hard to open the mouth. Treatment: calm the inflammation, then decide whether to keep or remove the tooth.
• Sensitivity. Short pain from cold and sour food. Treatment: strengthening the enamel and covering exposed tooth necks.

You can't tell the cause by eye — the same pain can come from caries or a cracked root. That's why the dentist always starts with an examination and an X-ray.

How an emergency visit works at Dentista

1. A call. You describe what hurts, we tell you when to come. You can also message us on Telegram.
2. Examination and X-ray. The dentist finds the tooth causing the pain — sometimes one tooth hurts but the pain is felt in another.
3. Anaesthesia. Treatment is done under local anaesthesia: you feel touch, but not pain.
4. We relieve acute pain during the same visit. Depending on the cause, we treat the caries, open the tooth and clean the canals, drain the inflammation, place medication and a temporary filling.
5. Plan and price first. The dentist explains what's wrong with the tooth, what the options are and how much each costs. No surprises at the end.
6. Finishing the treatment at a time that suits you, without rush.

The consultation is free, and we see patients in Uzbek, Russian and English.

What treatment costs — and why waiting is the most expensive option

Toothache has an unpleasant feature: every next stage costs noticeably more than the previous one. Approximate prices at Dentista:

• caries, filling — about 500,000 UZS;
• nerve inflammation, root canal treatment — about 1,200,000 UZS;
• tooth destroyed, crown needed — about 2,500,000 UZS;
• tooth can't be saved, implant with crown — from 7,000,000 UZS.

The difference between "came on the first night of pain" and "waited a month" easily reaches several million sum. The exact price depends on the tooth — the dentist names it after the examination and before treatment starts.

Why people come to Dentista with acute pain

• 24/7, no days off. The clinic is open at night, on Sundays and holidays.
• Everything in one clinic. General dentists, an implantologist and an orthodontist: if you need a root canal, crown or implant after the pain is gone, you don't have to look for another doctor.
• Pain-free. Modern local anaesthesia, including for patients afraid of dentists.
• Clear pricing. Plan and price before treatment.
• Central Tashkent. 34 Zulfiya Khonim St, Shaykhontohur district.
• Three languages. Uzbek, Russian, English.

If your child has a toothache, we can help too — read how children's dentistry works at Dentista.