The most effective toothache medication is a narcotic based analgesic such as codiene, hydrocodone, or oxycodone. Most manufacturers combine the use of over the counter analgesics with narcotics to achieve more effective pain relief. They can only be obtained with a dentist's or physician's prescription and an antibiotic prescription is almost always written at the same time. Although this involves a visit to the dentist, having a dentist determine exactly what is causing the problem is a good idea in order to prevent the problem from getting worse.

          Tylenol 3 is probably the most commonly prescribed toothache medication by dentists in the US. This toothache medicine combines Tylenol with three grains of codeine. The generic name for Tylenol is acetaminophen. Similar products are APAP and Codeine, Aceta with Codeine, Capital and Codeine, Phenaphen with Codeine. Most patients tolerate the Tylenol 3 well but some can get nauseous. In these cases, the prescription can be taken with food.

          Vicodin combines 5 mgs of hydrocodone with 500 mgs of acetaminophen. Vicodin is a highly addicting toothache medication responsible for thousands of drug addictions every year. It is not unusual for emergency dental patients to beg for this narcotic by name. Similar products are Anexsia, Anolor DH5, Bancap HC, Dolacet, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, T-Gesic, and Zydone. Unusually, hydrocodone is not an effective pain reliever in some patients who actually have more toothache pain relief with codeine products.

           Percocet is a toothache medication that combines 5 mg of oxycodone with 500 mgs of acetaminophen. It is a schedule 2 narcotic analgesic that is highly controlled by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and is normally prescribed for moderate to moderately severe pain after dental surgery or trauma. Similar product are Endocet, Roxicet and Tylox. The dentists at the Atlanta Dental Group PC are dedicated to their patients' good health and well being. You are welcome to join our family of patients. For your appointment with Dr. Smith or Dr. Padolsky, call 404-874-7428.