Dental pain: how to relieve a toothache?

Toothache: the causes

Toothache is due to inflammation, caused mainly by:

• caries : caries is an infectious disease of the tooth, which gradually destroys from the outside inwards the tissues of the tooth: enamel, then dentin, a more fragile tissue. This is where the pains begin, with great sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet.
• a pulpitis When caries reaches the dental pulp, 3rd tooth tissue, inflammation and bacterial infection gain the nerve, as if it were "raw". Symptoms: sensitivity to hot, feeling of pulsation inside the tooth, pain intolerable to chewing, lying down, and do not decrease after taking painkillers.
• an abscess : when there is an infection of the gum fibers that hold the tooth in its socket (this can be as a result of a bad caries), pus accumulates in a pocket of the gum to invade the neighboring tissues and get clogged. The abscess causes painful swelling of the gum, and deformity of the cheek.

Other types of toothache and their symptoms

A toothache can also be caused by what remains in the teeth of the foods eaten:

• food subsidence When food remains stuck between two teeth, they first cause discomfort after each meal, then an acute pain preventing sleep.
• gas gangrene When the remains of food break down in the roots of a tooth, gases are created without being able to escape, increasing the pressure in the tooth. This causes acute and constant pain.

Toothache: the first steps to adopt

From the appearance of a pain to a tooth:

• we have it brush several times a day with a soft brush, to prevent the spread of bacteria and inflammation.
• we have an antiseptic mouthwash to complete 2 times a day, but not more because it could cause burns to the gums.
• if the pain is localized at the base of the tooth, a fingerprint of toothpaste is regularly applied for sensitive teeth. This is to create a protective screen on the damaged enamel and relieve sensitivity to hot / cold.

Pain Relief: Which to choose?

Among the analgesics that can help relieve pain temporarily, better to avoid ibuprofen which may aggravate the infection of the abscess, as well as aspirin, which thins the blood.

Paracetamol is recommended - or painkillers based on codeine in case of violent pain - no more than 6 times a day (minimum every 4 hours). Be careful not to take painkillers more than 48 hours without a medical prescription.

Toothache: emergency natural remedies

The most used natural remedies for toothache is the clove. It contains 60 to 90% eugenol, an anesthetic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial substance, very often used in dental practices, and effective even for a toothache due to pulpitis.

Simply chew, place a clove or apply it crushed over the sore tooth for instant anesthetic action.

The application of an ice pack calms the influx of pain for any toothache, and relieves gas gangrene well.

In case of abscess, you can massage the gum with a compress soaked with salt water, to partially evacuate the pus pocket.

These different solutions help to relieve toothache, but in no way prevent a visit to the dentist!

Tips to avoid toothache

In addition to washing your teeth after each meal, it is recommended to use interdental brushes, or a dental floss.

An annual visit to the dentist can detect and treat dental disorders at a stage that is not yet painful.

Read also :

⋙ Dental hygiene: 20 mistakes that we all make

⋙ I bleed gums: what does it hide?

⋙ Tooth brushing: watch out for mistakes that children make and that can be dangerous

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