Tooth Pain- Chapter 1

People who have experienced acute tooth ache will agree , it can make your day terrible and fear of pain will be deeply embedded in your Brain. Moreover the nocturnal nature of the tooth ache will make it difficult to get access for emergency medical care . Let us see various reasons for tooth ache how you can handle it .

How Tooth Decay is formed?

Tooth decay is the most common cause of tooth ache . Cavity can be formed by repeated excess sugar adherence on the tooth over very period of 12 months or more . Once the cavity is formed the decay will progress very fast . During this process you are likely to experience warning signs like sensitive to hot or cold .If your immunity is extremely good your body will still fight against infection . One stage the bacterial load will be too much to handle and blood supply to the teeth will deplete and full blown infection will set off . Now your teeth might be painful even for a feather touch . Swelling on the gums or cheeks could happen too . Simple filling of the tooth at early stage could have stopped all these .

• Weak Spots : Natural pits and fissures of tooth , between two teeth , hard to reach tooth like wisdom tooth , Malformed tooth
• Carbohydrates : Sticky candies , chocolates, Potato chips , corn flakes , cakes , raw rice , sugary drinks ( coke , Pepsi , fruit juices , sugary milk .etc )
• Bacteria : Streptococcus mutans and few other bacterial strains are the germs that take advantage of the weak spots and presence of carbohydrates in the oral cavity and causes tooth demineralisation which lead to tooth cavity.
• With all the above factors in place yet the decay will not happen overnight. It is a slow process , usually takes 1-3 yrs, in case of deciduous teeth (Baby teeth) this process is fast .

Pain Progress and solution

Initially the pain could be controlled by course of antibiotics and pain killer medicines . But remember ,medicines will not cure the decayed tooth , it can only help you to overcome the acute symptoms . After one or two episodes the affected tooth might not respond to medicines . For pain relief and to save the tooth your dentist may advice you to go for root canal treatment if you choose not to loose your tooth , Alternative option would be extraction the teeth .

How to Prevent tooth Decay / Tooth Cavity

1. Weak spots in teeth like pits and fissures should be sealed
2. frequency of sugary food intake should be cut down
3. Brushing twice a day and flossing must be followed
4. people who have history of frequent dental problems , should make a habit seeing their dentist every 6months for check ups .

At Denticare , Mogappair we are well equipped with the knowledge and skill necessary even for complex root canal treatment. We will take all the necessary steps to do the root canal treatment painless.

Keep Smiling & Stay Happy 

Dr Gnanaraj Jayabal
Dental & Implant Surgeon 
Denticare Chennai 
Mogappair