The experience of toothache is often compared with the pain a woman in labour goes through or the type of pain experienced in the hand of a bad surgeon.
Most people say toothache tops the pain charts but I had never met anyone experiencing toothache until my sister visited me some weeks ago.
She casually complained of the ache in her teeth, so I gave her the strongest painkiller I had at home (diclofenac). We thought it was over until I heard her sobbing at night “Oh god! “Oh god! and breathing heavily. I became so scared.
Quickly, I reached my dentist who proffered a temporary solution for the night and then scheduled an early morning appointment to fix her dental issues (a cavity).
Dental care is often trivialised and rarely talked about until one is faced with a toothache or other forms of oral disease.
To show how essential dental care is, February 9th is World Teeth Day which serves to tell the importance of dental hygiene and its benefits.
Toothache can make you miserable and unproductive. Talking, sleeping, working everything becomes difficult. You hardly even think about eating or drinking anything because you likely will loss appetite when your tooth aches.
Now that you have been subtly reminded of toothaches, let’s talk about the causes and how it can be prevented?
Toothache is the pain you feel in your mouth around your tooth, it could be a sign that something has gone wrong or that something is about to go wrong and you should pay some attention to it. The pain is never life-threatening but it can be very severe.
What are the causes of toothache?
There are several reasons why you may be having a toothache:
- An infection often caused by the growth of a wisdom tooth that does not have enough room to grow out (a pericoronitis)
- A tooth decay
- A cracked or damaged tooth
- A broken filling
- A dental abscess
How often should I brush?
There have been some arguments as regards the number of times to brush in a day, is it once or twice or as often as necessary? The recommended number of times to brush your teeth is twice a day and no less than two minutes each time.
This is because the plaques in your teeth are bacteria. There are good and bad microbes in your mouth and the bad ones cause tooth decay. The bad bacteria use any leftovers of food especially, the ones containing sugar and carbs to produce acid that eats up the tooth cover, the enamel.
The saliva contains certain minerals that help to neutralize the acid and revitalize the enamel. The fluoride from the toothpaste also helps fight the bacteria. But when there is the regular consumption of sugar the saliva and fluoride will not be able to keep up with the daily revitalisation,
white spots will then begin to appear on the teeth and that’s the first sign of a damaging enamel.
However, this can still be stopped or reversed with a good supply of fluoride and less sugary-starchy foods. But if the white spots are not contained, it expands and then turns into a cavity. You definitely will not want to have that.
What to do when you have a toothache
Toothaches may not give prior signs. You can do these before your appointment with the dentist.
- Take a painkiller (Ibuprofen) or any other drug prescribed by your pharmacist.
- Avoid hard and sweet foods. Go with liquids and soft foods.
- Rinse your mouth with salt water (do not swallow and not for kids).
- A pain-relieving gel can be very handy as well. Buy from a pharmacy near you.
How to care for your teeth.
The teeth are covered by an outer layer called the enamel. Everyday when we brush our teeth we remove plaques from them. Plaques are a thin line of sticky film that builds up in the teeth as a result of the food and drink we consume. Plaque contains bacteria that produce acid, This acid attacks and harms your enamel and begins to cause dental issues like tooth decay and cavity after a while if the plaques are not regularly removed by brushing or flossing.
As advised by dentists, the best way to protect your teeth is by using tubes of toothpaste that contain fluoride.
Fluoride is also contained in mouthwash and fluoride gel, so these can suffice when you can’t get a toothpaste. You can use both toothpaste and mouthwash.
Is hard ‘smokers’ brush good?
A clean tooth is often not only about the type of brush but also your brushing technique. Smokers toothbrush is very hard and because of that people often think it removes plaques more than the regular soft brush.
Most people brush violently and brushing like that with a hard brush will cause more harm than good, you will repetitively injure your gum and cause serious damage to your gum. A soft brush just does it right and also prevents gum damage.
So, stick with a soft brush and learn to brush the right way
How to prevent oral problems
Take your oral health as seriously as you would take your heart because it can lead to other oral diseases that would affect your entire body.
- Limit or avoid sugary food, snacks, and drinks
- Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste
- Avoid smoking and tobacco products
- Have your teeth regularly checked by a dentist, preferably every six months.
- Flossing reaches corners your toothbrush cannot reach so make effort to floss daily if possible.
- Eat healthy foods rich in fiber and include more fruits and vegetables in your diet
Takeaway
I’m sure you are already thinking of brushing your teeth and flossing right now or maybe booking an appointment with a dentist, if you are not, then you really should. This is how to floss,
Your oral and dental health is an essential part of your overall health. don’t wait till you have a cavity or a throbbing ache before you make an appointment with the dentist or take better care of your teeth.