Toothache is quite common and can prevent a person from enjoying life to its fullest as it causes some undesirable health problems such as headache, sleeplessness, elevated blood pressure, and dental abscess. It is one of the major reasons why people go to see a dentist globally.
It may interest you to know that there are ways to prevent most of the causes of toothache.
What Is Toothache?
Toothache is pain within the tooth and from the surrounding tissues such as gum, and bone.
Common Causes of Toothache
Some of the common causes of toothache and ways to prevent them will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
Dental Caries
Dental caries or tooth decay is the major cause of toothache world wide. It is the cavitation that occurs on a tooth surface as a result of the interaction between bacteria within the oral cavity and sugar substrate.
This interaction causes demineralisation of the outer layer of the tooth called the enamel. If the process of demineralisation goes on unhindered, cavitation or tooth decay occurs.
If an effort is not made to prevent the tooth decay or the infection from progressing, it can extend to involve the innermost part of the tooth called the pulp, and causes toothache.
Unlike the enamel, the pulp contains nerves and blood vessels. The nerve endings conduct impulses to the brain.
Pain from the pulp can range from moderate to severe. It is usually sharp, throbbing, shooting, stabbing, and/or intermittent.
If no treatment is sought for, the infection can spread from the pulp to the surrounding alveolar bone causing more serious complications.
Periodontal Diseases
Periodontal diseases are quite common being the second major causes of toothache after tooth decay.
These diseases refer to the diseases affecting the gums (gingivae) and other supporting structures of the teeth which include alveolar bone, periodontal ligaments, periodontal fibres and cementum. Some of them include gingivitis, periodontitis, periodontal/gingivitis abscesses, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, necrotizing ulcerative periodontitis, desquamative gingivitis,
Dental plaque is the primary cause of Periodontal diseases. It is an oral biofilm that harbours a variety of microorganisms that are destructive to the teeth and the structures around it.
a person is said to have poor oral hygiene if there is an accumulation of plaque and calculus in the mouth. The more plaque and calculus build up within the oral cavity, the easier it will be for some of these destructive microorganisms to proliferate and cause serious infections.
Pain as a result of periodontal diseases is mainly due to the degree of inflammation of periodontal structures and bacteria invasion. Pain could be low grade or high grade.
Tooth Fracture/Trauma
This is another preventable cause of toothache. Tooth fracture occurs more in children and young people. It accounts for 5% of all traumatic dental injuries.
Permanent teeth are more affected than primary teeth with a prevalence rate of 6.1% to 58% in permanent dentition and 9.4% to 41.6% in primary dentition.
Dental fractures involving the pulp cavity of the tooth is usually produce a sharp, spontaneous, and severe pain.
Fractures that do not involve the pulp of the teeth may not give pain, although the individual may experience shocking sensations from the broken tooth.
Without treatment, the broken part of the tooth may become infected. The infection may extend to involve the pulp in the long run resulting in pulpal inflammation (pulpitis). Pulpitis causes serious toothache, and to prevent this occurrence, a broken tooth should be treated as soon as possible.
Dentine Sensitivity
This is a shocking sensation arising from within the tooth. It occurs when the dentin is exposure through chipping off of the enamel, gradual wearing away of the enamel, or by gum recession. It is common among individuals with deep dental cavities, and causes a lot of pain.
The presence of cold or hot fluid, acidic drinks like carbonated drinks, and acidic fruits like pineapple can trigger sensitivity if the dentin is exposure.
Dentinal hypersensitivity causes toothache if severe, and can prevent someone from living a productive life.
Pericoronitis
Have you ever experienced a swollen and painful gum around your wisdom teeth? That is what dentists call pericoronitis. This happens if the wisdom tooth did not completely erupt into the mouth. It commonly occurs around the wisdom teeth in the lower jaw.
Pericoronitis is common among individuals with partially erupted third molars (wisdom teeth), and causes severe toothache. It can prevent the individual from feeding well and from observing proper oral hygiene practices. In severe forms, there can be difficulty in opening the mouth, swelling and bad breath.
Dry Socket
Dry socket occurs as a complication of tooth extraction. It usually occurs 1 to 3 days after tooth extraction. It is not as common as the other causes of toothache.
After tooth extraction, blood clot forms in the extraction socket. Extraction socket is the site where a tooth has been removed from. Dry socket is a very painful experience.
How to Prevent These Common Causes of Toothache
- Cutting down on the consumption of food products rich in industrial sugar is vital in preventing dental caries.
- The sticky forms of these products pose higher risk of developing tooth decay as they stick to the teeth for longer periods affording intra oral bacteria enough time to break down the sugar component.
- Brushing twice daily with fluoride-containing toothpaste will help to strengthen the tooth structure against tooth decay.
- Dental plaque is the primary cause of Periodontal diseases. Therefore, eliminating plaque from the teeth is vital in maintaining periodontal health.
- Plaque is removable by brushing. Hence practising good oral hygiene will prevent build-up of plaque around the teeth and gums.
- Visit your dentist at least 6 monthly for preventive professional cleaning of your teeth (scaling and polishing). Scaling and polishing is important for removing plaque and calculus thereby preserving periodontal health.
- Many causes of dental trauma are avoidable if only precautions are taken.
- It is safer for children to play on the field or on rugged floors than on cemented or tiled floors. The more cushioning the floor, the lesser the impact of falls will be.
- Gum recession and tooth wear can expose the dentin leading to dentin sensitivity. Avoiding use of hard brush, plaque and calculus build up are ways we can prevent gum recession.
- If you are experiencing recurrent pericoronitis, it is advisable you consider removing the impacted wisdom tooth that is causing the pain.
- Dry socket causes severe toothache that is why it is important we should prevent it from occurring. Many times, the cause is failure to observe the instructions given by the dentist after a tooth extraction. Less traumatic extractions are less likely to cause dry sockets. Therefore, the dentist also has a role to play.
Conclusion
Toothache is a common dental complaint. It is one of the primary reasons why people visit the dental clinic. It is important we take our dental health seriously in order to prevent these potential causes of toothache.
