Saturday, April 30, 2011

Toothache Symptoms

The medical term used to describe the aching pain of the toothache is odontalgia. It occurs as a result of swelling in the central part of the tooth also known as pulp. It consists of several nerve endings which are highly sensitive towards pain. There are several causes that can lead to inflammation of the pulp. Tooth or jaw problems like cavities, gum disease, infection of the pulp, trauma, cracked tooth, etc., are some of the most common causes of toothaches. After extraction of one or more teeth, a condition called dry socket tends to develop which may give toothache symptoms. Impacted wisdom teeth are responsible for causing wisdom toothache symptoms. It could be a symptom of some underlying health problems too. Like, one can get sinus toothache symptoms due to inflammation of the sinuses in the nasal cavity. Ear infection, oral cancer and heart disease may sometimes cause toothaches.

Symptoms of Toothache

The intensity of the aching pain of the tooth is mild in the beginning. This pain tends to shoot up when we eat or drink something hot or cold. After a few seconds, once the hot or cold stimuli is removed, the pain usually goes down. As the area of inflammation grows bigger, the toothache turns more severe and often gives a throbbing sensation. It may get extended to the cheek, ear and the head. Other accompanying symptoms that suggest periodontal diseases are as follows:

    * Swelling around the affected tooth.
    * Swelling of the jaw.
    * Bleeding from the tooth or if the gum has been infected then discharge can occur from the entire gums. Read more on gum infection symptoms.
    * Soreness can be felt in the gum and jaw area and is tender to touch.
    * The pain often intensifies with additional pressure on the tooth. It can happen while chewing the food or while lying down.
    * Sometimes, the tooth appears normal and it becomes difficult to identify the source of pain. In such cases, if you tap the tooth you can feel the tenderness.

If all the above mentioned toothache symptoms are missing and still you are suffering from toothache, then it is likely that the source of the pain is other than the tooth. It could be due to sinus infection and ear or throat infection. If you are unable to open your mouth for a large bite or yawning, then it can be due to injury to the joint that attach the jaw and the skull also called temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Sometimes, chest pain due to angina may travel through the nerves and can be felt in the jaw area.

Toothache Treatment

Treatment for toothache symptoms depends on the underlying cause of the problem. First of all, doctors prescribe pain killers and antibiotics to bring down the pain and swelling. In certain cases, they may administer injections around the tooth to provide relief from the pain. Then it is followed by other dental treatments. For a tooth decay, dentists remove the decayed part of the tooth and fill it up using silver amalgam or composite resin. If loose and broken fillings are found to be the cause of toothache, then newly formed tooth decay and broken fillings are cleared off and a new filling is placed. When damage in the tooth pulp is found then root canal treatment is carried out which involves removal of decayed pulp, filling up the space with a paste and covering the tooth with a crown. Thus the tooth is sealed up and is in a well protected condition. If the condition of the tooth is such that it cannot be treated with all these methods then the tooth has to be extracted. When the toothache is related to anything other than dental health then your dentist will refer you to other specialists. Find more on tooth decay treatment and tooth ache remedies.

You can avoid toothache symptoms to a great extent by following a proper dental care regime. Proper brushing of teeth using a soft brush is a must in order to remove food particles that get stuck in between the teeth. Brush your gums daily to make them healthy. Get your teeth cleaned by your dentist twice a year. This will ensure you protection from both tooth decay as well as any kind of gum disease.

16 comments:

  1. Eat healthy food and visit nearest dentist twice in a year for dental checkups. It will help you to keep your teeth healthy.

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  2. Healthy gums are light pink in color, while if gums are infected they turn dark pink or red. Its very essential to avoid food which leads to cavity.

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  3. Healthy eating, brushing flossing and a dental visit at least once in a year will help a lot tooth problems to be avoided

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  4. Hi there! glad to drop by your page and found these very interesting and informative stuff. Thanks for sharing, keep it up!

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  5. Good Sharing ! Even Not brushing and flossing your teeth regularly can also damage your teeth.So keep habit of visiting dentist for checkups and cleanings.

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  6. Thanks for posting the symptoms & causes for toothache. Also explain very well how to treat such tooth ache on such emergencies.

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  7. Thanks for sharing such an informative article and also for the tips on how to treat tooth decay in emergency.

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  8. Nice Post ! Eating foods that are high in sugar and other carbohydrates, which feed the bacteria in your mouth and that causes tooth decay.Keep habit of visiting Dentist in Calgary
    for dental checkups and cleanings.

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  9. great post! Dental check up is important to keep your teeth healthy

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  10. It is actually very important to visit a dentist in every six months for checkups and teeth cleaning. it will always help us to maintain our healthy teeth.

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  11. Hi, nice post. Well what can I say is that these is an interesting and very informative topic. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

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  12. Dental treatment has became very expensive nowadays, your tips are really helpful to figure out the tooth problem as early as possible.

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  13. Frequent tooth pain or bleeding gums can not be ignored. If someone is facing these oral problems visit nearest dentist for treatment.

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  14. Thanks for sharing the information on toothache.

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  16. awesome explnation on toothache symptoms which helpsful to avoids the toothache issues.

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