Category: Dental Health

Understanding Toothaches

As we all know, toothaches are the result of several different factors. The pain that stems from a toothache is always apparent, normally in the form of throbbing. The pain will normally intensify as time goes by, when you eat, lay down, or drink hot/cold liquids. Toothaches are very painful, and it may seem that no matter what you do – it seems to hurt more.

In the dental world, toothaches can include such things as cavities, infections or abscess in the teeth or gums, debris that has been trapped between the teeth and gums, and trauma to the face, teeth, or the jaw. Sometimes, toothaches can result from medical conditions and have nothing to do with dental. In most cases, if the problem goes without being checked, it can lead to serious trouble and maybe even become a life threatening situation.

Normally, when you have a toothache, youll experience tremendous pain. The pain will stem from the affected tooth or the jaw, and youll know it almost immediately. It will start out to be a throbbing pain, then continue to get worse and worse until you get it treated. If you wait too long and allow the infection to spread throughout the tooth, youll end up having to get it pulled or cut out.

Anytime you start to experience a toothache, you shouldnt hesitate to make an appointment with your dentist to have it checked. Sometimes, getting an appointment when your tooth starts hurting is easier said than done. Even though you may be able to use certain products to stop the pain, the pain will always come back until you get the problem fixed. A toothache will always come back, until you get the tooth taken care of.

If you visit your dentist in time and he catches the problem early, he may be able to save your tooth. Normally, this will result in a filling, crown, or root canal, although you wont have to have the tooth removed. Dentists always look to save teeth, as they dont like to remove a tooth unless they absolutely have to. If the tooth has become abscessed, the dentist will put you on antibiotics such as penicillin until the infection has subsided enough to remove the tooth.

Throughout our lives, most of us will experience the pain and agony of a toothache at some point. A toothache can be the worst pain you have ever felt in your life, especially if you are feeling the pain of an abscess. If youve never had a toothache, you should consider yourself lucky. Those who have had toothaches though, will tell you that the pain is something you never want to experience – it will make you feel as if your whole world is falling apart.

Understanding Dental Pain

Pain has always been a major issue with dentistry. The fear of pain in dentistry is so high in fact, that many people fail to go to the dentist until their condition becomes so severe that they have no other choice than to see a dentist. A majority of individuals are terrified of the dental chair, although once they are numb, they sometimes fall asleep. Although the numbing shots may be a bit painful, once they are finished – there is literally no more pain.

Most often, people will concentrate on the thought of getting the shot, which will only magnify the pain. Something that normally doesnt hurt, can get a lot worse simply by thinking in your mind that it will be painful. In most cases, the numbing shots will work very well with one or two applications. If you are already in pain when you visit the dentist, the shots will put your mind at ease and stop the pain almost immediately.

If you have a tremendous fear of dental pain and simply cannot stand the thought of getting a shot, then you may be interested in laughing gas or IV sedation. Either of the two can help you relax before you the dentist applies numbing shots. IV sedation can either be conscious or put you out totally. Normally, IV sedation is preferred during wisdom teeth removal, as most people dont want to hear the grinding and snapping of the teeth. It works through your veins, as the anaesthesia is inserted into your arm through a vein.

If you have chosen either laughing gas or an IV sedation, your dentist will administer either of the two before he gives you shots or goes any further. Once the medicine has taken effect, you normally wont feel anything or remember it. Laughing gas and IV sedation can put your mind at ease, so you wont be uncomfortable during your surgery or extractions.

Although dental pain is something that many fear, it isnt near as bad as they may think. Most of the fear stems from not knowing, or thinking that it will hurt more than it actually does. The worst part of dental work is the numbing shots, which actually dont hurt all that bad. Once you have been numbed, youll find that the pain will be gone. Dental pain isnt near as bad you may hear or think – which is why you shouldnt fear it.

If you need dental work or if you are having a bad toothache, you shouldnt hesitate to get to the dentist. The dentist will explain everything he is going to do in your treatment, and ask you about other forms of sedation or medicine. Even though youll feel the shots, the rest of the procedures you wont feel at all.

Types Of Dental Teeth Fractures

Fractures are a common thing in the world of dentistry. Fractures or cracks occur with all ages, although they are more present in those above the age of 25. They can be very painful, hard to diagnose, yet sometimes easy to treat. There are several types of fractures, which we will look at below.

The first type of crack is known as an oblique supragingival fracture. This fracture is found above the gums, and normally happens when you bite down too hard on something. Normally, this fracture doesnt involve the nerve. Once the fractured area of the tooth breaks off, the pain will go away. Although the exposed dentin may cause you some pain, you can visit the dentist and have it repaired. If the fracture is large, you may need to have a crown placed on the tooth to prevent further fractures from occurring in that tooth.

The second type of crack exceeds way below the gum line, and is known as an oblique subgingival fracture. Once the fractured piece of tooth breaks off, it normally remains attached to the gums and cause result in terrible pain until you get it removed. Once you have had the piece of tooth removed from the gums, the tooth will be similar to the supragingival fracture. It normally doesnt affect the nerves, although as a result of the tooth area being lost, you may need to have a root canal to clean out the tooth before having a crown put on it.

The seriousness of this fracture depends on how far it has went beyond the gum line. If it has made its way deep into the gum line, you may not be able to save the tooth. The crack can be present for many years, before you start to feel any pain. To be on the safe side, you should go to your regular checkups with your dentist, as he can check for cracks and other problems.

The oblique root fracture is next, although it doesnt involve the tooth crown at all. This type of fracture is almost always found below the gums, normally under the bone. If a root fracture is found near the crown of the tooth, it will normally prove to be fatal. Sometimes, you can save the tooth with a root canal, even though it is normally lost later on due to an abscess of the bone that surrounds the fracture.

The last type of fracture is the most difficult to deal with. Vertical apical root fractures occur with the tip of the root, and can cause you severe to intense pain, even if youve had the nerve removed with a root canal. Even though the nerve may not be present, vertical apical root fractures cause a lot of pain, which occurs in the tooth.

Normally, vertical apical fractures will cause you more pain than any other type of fracture. The resulting pain comes from the fragments putting pressure on the bone, causing the fractured pieces to strain. Just about the only way to get relief from this type of fracture is to get a root canal, as it will ease the pain and get the dead pulp out of the tooth thats affected with the fracture.

Even though fractures are very common and very painful, you should never put off going to the dentist. Fractures can become more and more serious if you dont do something about them, which is why you should never hesitate to go to the dentist. Your dentist will be able to diagnose the problem, and fix it before it has the chance to get any worse.

The Dry Socket

Even though they arent life threatening like bleeding or abscesses, dry sockets can be extremely painful. They are very common following surgery, and happen to be one of the most painful post extraction problems. Dry sockets are more common with removal of the lower teeth than they are with removal of upper teeth. No matter what type of extraction you have performed, a dry socket can occur with any type.

Although there is really no way to prevent a dry socket, you can help to reduce the risk by following your after surgery directions. Even though you may be following the directly precisely, you could still end up with a dry socket. They are known as a quirk of nature, and will make you feel like you are on your death bed – although you really arent. Those who are more at risk to dry sockets include those who smoke following extractions, and those who like to grind their teeth frequently.

A dry socket is a condition where the blood clot that forms after an extraction detaches itself from the socket walls. Sometimes, the clot will dissolve, leaving the bone exposed to food, the weather, and even saliva. Once the bone is exposed, it can become inflamed. The inflammation that occurs is very painful, often times being a deep pain that makes you feel as if you are dying.

If you leave it alone, the dry socket will heal. It will normally take around a month or so, although the pain wont let up during the healing period. If you have a dry socket, youll find that antibiotics and even the strongest of prescription drug wont cure it. An antibiotic will normally cure infections, although a dry socket isnt considered to be an infection.

The best way to fight a dry socket is to go back to your dentist and have him pack the socket. Packing the socket is done without any anesthesia and can be quite painful. It doesnt take long to complete, and it can provide relief from the pain. Once you have a dry socket, you wont care about anything but stopping the pain. The pain can be so intense at times that you will be willing to do anything to stop the pain – even for a few minutes.

Once the socket has been packed, you will be relived from pain for a day or so. If you go back to your dentist, he will remove the old packing, wash the socket out, and place a new packing in. This way, you can get relief from the pain and help the socket heal. Keep in mind that it will take time to heal – and the best way to stop the pain is to do your best to avoid a dry socket at all costs.