Why A Toothache Hurts So Much

There is a phenomenon known all too well by dentists in private practice – the predictably unpredictable dental emergency that requires immediate attention. All too frequently, the patient who calls my office with an urgent problem, had an inkling that something was amiss for quite awhile. But he or she often delayed making the call in the the hopes that said problem would dissipate given enough time.

Yet, when necessity dictates immediate action (i.e. “I can’t take this pain any longer!”) and the call for help is made, yesterday is never soon enough. The patient in acute distress is ready to drop everything to get relief, regardless of time demands. My office staff will “move mountains” (or at least juggle the schedule) to make me available.

Why Toothaches Hurt So Much

A severe toothache can be a harrowing experience, and is in many ways unique from your body’s other aches and pains. The intensity of tooth pain can be extraordinary with severity rivaling true neuralgia (intense neurological pain of almost unparalleled proportions). 

And, a painful tooth is literally in your head. That fact offers you little opportunity to find a comfortable position for to neutralize the waves of discomfort, as opposed to a painfully sprained foot, for example, which you can elevate and use ice packs to get some sort of reprieve. Additionally, your teeth have an abundance of neural connections to the pain centers in the brain. This seems to amplify the noxious “distress signals.”

The face and head, including your teeth, are richly served by the nervous system and make for an exquisitely sensitive and responsive anatomic region.

This is one of the “benefits” of being at the top of the evolutionary ladder.

For all that make your teeth especially sensitive to painful stimuli, they are also much like any other part of the body; namely, they can experience transient discomfort that can dissipate almost as quickly as it arises. Aches and pains are a part of an active lifestyle (at least for those of us over 40!) so why should teeth be any different? I’m sure you are familiar with the a sudden wince when biting into something unexpectedly hard, or the piercing jolt when chewing ice cold fruit or taking too big a mouthful of ice cream.

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There may be more to that Toothache that Suddenly Stops Aching

If a pain you’ve been feeling goes away, you might believe the problem that caused it is gone too. But that doesn’t mean it has, especially with a tooth. An excruciating toothache that suddenly stops should still be examined. Here’s why.

 Tooth decay often works its way into a tooth’s innermost layer, the pulp, which contains bundles of nerves and other tissue. The infection attacks the nerves, which send pain signals to the brain. As the infection persists, though, the nerves will eventually die and will no longer be capable of sending pain signals — hence the “mysterious” end of your toothache.

Although the pain has stopped, the infection is very much active in the tooth and will continue to work its way through the root canals to the jaw. And ultimately, the pain will return as the infection invades the bone.

But there’s good news: a tooth in this condition can be saved with a procedure known as root canal therapy. We drill a small hole in the tooth to access the pulp, usually through the biting surface of back teeth or in the rear in front teeth. Once inside the pulp chamber, we clean out the infected and dead tissue. We then fill the empty pulp chamber and the root canals with a special filling and seal the access hole. In a few weeks the tooth receives a life-like crown to further protect it from re-infection and fracture years later.

Read full story at  http://www.harbormesadental.com

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How To Stop Your Child Getting Holes In Their Teeth

 I watched the live twitter feed as The Dentist was on last night  ( I know I need to get out more)  and I was struck  ( but secretly pleased )  by the outrage from the general public as child after child was referred for the removal multiple teeth under general anaesthesia. "Refer to social services" said one. "Some people should not be allowed to have children" said another. so if we all think this is appalling, then how come day in day out I refer children for this procedure? How can you stop your child getting holes in their teeth?

Firstly, let's get this straight. Dental decay or caries is 100% preventable. There are few conditions where the teeth come through poorly formed as a result of genetic conditions or a disturbance which happens around the time of birth but these are in the minority. Most of the children and young people I see have holes which could have been avoided. so it is just a case of eating fewer sweets? Well yes, and no. Yes, because diet is a big factor, but it's not the only one.

So, here are my top tips to stop your child getting holes in their teeth:

1.)  Get grandparents on side

Try to encourage grandparents to use alternative treats to sweets - putting money in their piggy bank or buying a small gift can allow them to spoil grandchildren without wrecking their teeth.

2.)  Spit, don't rinse

From the age of 3 your child can use a pea sized amount of adult toothpaste. Encourage them to spit out excess paste, but not rinse their mouth with water. Why? Because rinsing washes away the fluoride which has shown to reduce dental decay.

3.)  Respect the golden hour

 Dentists call the hour before bed, "The golden hour". Avoid letting your child have anything to eat or drink in this time aside from water. The reason for this is that when whenever we have anything containing sugar to eat, it takes our mouths time to recover and to move from the process of demineralisation  ( rebuilding them again ) . When we sleep, our mouths dry out and we lose the protective effect of saliva. This is why having sweet things in the hour before bed is a recipe for disaster.

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