Toothache and Remedies
What is a toothache?
Toothache is pain that originates in the dental region. It can be pain that can be felt in the tooth or around it.
What does it feel like?
Toothache has many different types. When we want to explain dental pain, we need to discuss two major things, severity and duration of pain.
Severity of dental pain can be categorized into sharp pain or dull pain. Duration of the pain can be classified as intermittent, or it can be continuous. Intermittent usually gets triggered by a stimulus like cold or hot or pressure. Continuous pain usually is going on regardless of the stimulus and it might increase with any stimulus.
How can dental pain or toothache occur?
1- Tooth decay is the most common cause of a toothache. Tooth decay happens when part of the tooth starts rotting under the effect of the bacterial acidic toxic secretions. Our teeth are made of the hardest material in our body and that decayed part becomes soft and spongy where the bacteria can live in and survive which in turn causes pain.
2- Crack in the tooth. A crack in the tooth can happen due to a chronic heavy load on the tooth or a sudden impact on the tooth surface. A crack or fracture of the tooth might happen on a tooth weakened by decay too allowing the tooth to become more sensitive to pain.
3- Gum disease, would cause pain which can be mistakenly thought as a toothache. Gum disease is the infection of the surrounding tissues around the teeth, like the gum and bone. There are many reasons for gum disease and it is better checked by the dentist to confirm the reason.
4- TMJ pain, also can be mistakenly thought as a toothache. The TMJ joint can get sore due to teeth grinding and wrong chewing habits.
If the pain is due to a dental origin, that means the pulp inside the tooth is inflamed and it is going through an inflammation process which can lead to loss of vitality of the tooth and spread of infection to the surrounding areas. If the infection spreads outside the tooth, it might lead to Dental Abscess which is serious and should be treated as soon as possible.
Remedies for toothache or dental pain
First, identify and treat the cause. Treating the cause is the best way to get permanent relief. Painkillers will help in masking the pain until the cause is treated, but will not treat the cause itself as people might think.
There are medications over the counter to mask the toothache, the most common are Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen. If the pain is of a severe nature, then usually over the counter medications are not strong enough and a stronger prescribed painkiller by your dentist is required to provide pain relief.
Natural remedies like salt water rinse will only kill some of the bacteria in the mouth but the ones that already gained access to tooth pulp and reached the nerves and blood vessels are out of reach by this method.
Hydrogen peroxide rinse is good to fight gum infection while using it with regular oral hygiene appointments.
Peppermint, Garlic, Vanilla extract, Clove, Guava leaves, Wheatgrass, Thyme are all natural remedies that might help in reducing pain but will never solve the main cause of the pain. If the pain is severe, their effect is close to nothing.
Toothaches can be very discomforting and may affect your daily life significantly. Ignoring a toothache can result in loss of teeth, infection and other severe issues. Smile House Dental Clinic can help you with all your emergency toothaches in a timely manner, call to book an appointment today!