Acute Pain

Acute pain: causes and treatment

Acute toothache can be a real challenge for a person. It can occur suddenly and cause significant discomfort, sleep disturbances and even increased blood pressure. Fortunately, modern dentistry allows you to quickly and effectively relieve pain and get rid of the causes of its occurrence.

Causes of acute toothache

Acute toothache can occur for various reasons. One of the most common is caries with infection entering the tooth cavity. In this case, pain can only occur with the direct action of an irritant, for example, from cold or hot food. Another reason may be exposure of sensitive dentin at the neck of the tooth.

An improperly filled tooth or cracked teeth can also cause severe toothache. If the pulp (the pulp of the tooth where the nerve is located) becomes inflamed, then pain in the tooth can occur independently, not only during the action of irritants (during eating), but at any other time, including at night. This condition is called pulpitis.

Another disease that can cause acute toothache is periodontitis - inflammation of the tissues located around the top of the tooth. In this case, the pain can be constant and sharp, localized in the area of ​​one tooth. The pain is often throbbing, aggravated by touching the tooth. In this case, the gums may swell and the tooth may become loose.

Complications

Even though the pain may decrease or stop on its own, this does not mean that the tooth has been restored. It’s just that the disease process has moved from the acute stage to the chronic stage. The nerves die, and the pathogenic process continues its terrible activity, which is fraught with the development of such serious complications as abscess, phlegmon and osteomyelitis.

Treatment of acute toothache

If you have an acute toothache, the first step should be to see a dentist. Only a specialist will be able to understand the cause of the pain and cure the diseased tooth. An x-ray or more advanced radioimaging may be required to determine the cause of the toothache. It is important to distinguish acute toothache from other diseases that can also cause pain.

If an attack of acute toothache occurs at night or on a weekend, and it is not possible to see a dentist, you can try to temporarily relieve the pain. This can be done by taking an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, or using painkillers such as analgesics. However, it must be remembered that these remedies are not a treatment, but only temporarily relieve pain. In addition, you should not increase the dosage or duration of use without consulting a specialist.

If your toothache is caused by tooth decay, your dentist may perform treatment that involves removing the diseased tissue and filling the cavity with a filling. If the cause of the pain is associated with pulpitis, endodontic treatment may be required, which involves removing the nerve and filling the root canals.

If the cause of the pain is related to periodontitis, the dentist may provide treatment aimed at removing bacteria from the periodontal pocket and restoring damaged tissue.

In any case, treatment of acute toothache requires professional help from a dentist. Therefore, if you have an acute toothache, you must immediately contact a specialist for diagnosis and prescribing appropriate treatment.