Anybody who has had an ache in their tooth can testify how terrible it is. It is agonizing and it’s hard to even concentrate when you have a stinging or throbbing pain in your mouth. Fortunately, there are treatments available to help reduce or eliminate the pain altogether.
Toothache generally results from irritated pulp at the centre of the tooth. Every time the pulp is irritated by external stimuli, the nerves and blood vessels responds to it by combating it with natural mechanism of inflammatory process. This inflammatory process results in pain. The severity of pain depends upon the type and degree of the stimulus. There are multiple reasons why you could be having those jolts of pain, but here are a few examples:
- Plaque or calculus
- Decaying tooth
- Abscessed tooth
- Tooth fracture
- Damaged filling
- Infected gums
- Repetitive motion such as chewing gums or grinding teeth
- Vigorously brushing teeth, resulting in exposure of root by gum recession
Signs and Symptoms of a Toothache
- Dull, diffused pain which would last for few seconds and usually encountered while having something hot or cold.
- Sharp, throbbing pain which usually lasts few minutes and stimuli to the pain is usually cold, hot or sweet food/drink.
- Swelling around the tooth.
- Foul-tasting discharge from the infected tooth.
- Pain when pressure is applied while chewing or upon biting.
- Bleeding when brushing your teeth
- Fever or headache (in rare cases)
Treatment:
- The Primary aim of the dentist is to remove the stimuli. Based on patient’s history, clinical examination and X-rays the dentist decides the treatment plan.
- Upon examination if the tooth is detected to be decayed and the patient complains of pain which is dull and diffusive in nature and last for about few seconds, the dentist prefer simply drilling the tooth and filling it with a restorative material.
- If there is lingering pain or the pain intensifies, alternate procedures may be suggested.
- If there is an abscess due to a particular infection, the abscess is drained, Antibiotics are prescribed for the infection to clear and the Root Canal Procedure is carried out.
Prevention
Most toothaches are the result of decaying tooth, so one should follow good oral hygiene practices. It consists of:
- Brushing teeth regularly in a circular motion for 2 minutes at least twice a day with a toothpaste containing fluoride and approved by the Canadian Dental Association.
- Flossing once daily.
- Using antiseptic mouthwash once daily.
- Visiting the dentist for professional cleaning at least once every six months.
- Reduce your sugar consumption (candy, soft drinks etc.)
Do not attempt to self-medicate or simply will the problem away. Visit your dentist in Ottawa to get to the root of the problem and relieve your toothache once and for all.
