I’ve a toothache, what does it imply? – Summit Dental Well being

[ad_1] Having a toothache isn’t any enjoyable, particularly while you’re undecided what’s inflicting it. The ache can start to have …

Whether discomfort is minor or significant, dental pain should not be ignored

If there is one type of pain which is next to impossible to ignore it is a toothache. Even a relatively minor pain in the tooth is likely to distract us from our everyday life, perhaps due to its proximity to all of our major senses. Even if you are a hardy type that can tolerate a higher degree of pain; where toothache is concerned, you still shouldn’t ignore it.

It is almost inevitable that if you have dental pain, there is a problem that needs treating, and promptly.

Failing to do so will almost certainly lead to the problem becoming much worse, not only most likely leading to a greater degree of pain, but also damaging the tooth further. If allowed to worsen it could potentially lead to the need for an extraction. At the Foxhall Dental Practice in Ipswich, we believe in preventative dentistry and even where a problem has only just started, we advise that it should be treated as soon as possible to minimise any harm caused.

What to do

As soon as you notice a painful tooth, it is time to take action and this applies whatever the degree of pain. So what should you do when you first notice this?

Contact your dentist

This is the most important thing that you can do and you should do so straightaway. Ask for an emergency appointment and explain your symptoms to the receptionist. We will do all that we can to see you the same day if possible, but if not, then as soon as possible. We will always try to see those most in need first.

You should definitely not put off doing this, thinking things might get better. That is almost certainly not going to happen and you may find yourself, further down the road, in much more severe pain. Book an appointment today.

Take painkillers (where suitable) and follow advice

Now you have made an appointment, you can relax .. right? The fact is that if you have a painful tooth, relaxation might be quite difficult to do. Even a few hours can seem like a very long time when you are in pain, but there are a few things that you can do to make this time less stressful.

teeth whitening treatments are popular with the young, but older generations can benefit from them too

Most beauty products and treatments are advertised largely to younger people. This is understandable as there is more pressure on us when we are young to look our best.

Many people of this age will be looking to date and in order to attract a partner, will spend a significant amount of time and money on looking their very best. It could also be argued that younger people are more susceptible to trends and social media ‘influencers’. If this is the case, then it is not surprising that this generation is queuing up to have their teeth whitened.

All of this is very understandable but at the Foxhall Dental Practice in Ipswich, we also believe that this popular cosmetic dentistry treatment offers a number of significant benefits for more mature people too. Let’s take a look….

Life begins at forty

There is little doubt that being forty these days is very different to what it was half a century ago. Then, the chances are that you would have been in ‘pipe and slippers’ territory. These days though, people of forty and much older are far more active and involved in various interests, whether that be travelling or some form of sport. In most cases, these activities will also involve an element of socialising with others.

Although some people who marry young do stay married for life, the fact is that many don’t. This means that there are a large number of people in their middle age who might be looking for their second (or third) life partner. Just because you are older doesn’t mean that you should neglect your appearance. Getting a new wardrobe and hairstyle is relatively straightforward, but those yellow teeth simply won’t get any whiter by regular brushing. This is where our one hour teeth whitening procedure comes into its own.

This treatment is very affordable and, whilst not permanent, it is long lasting and can be repeated regularly with no ill effects to your teeth. This means that you can either have a one off treatment if, for example, you had an important function to attend or just wanted to look your best on holiday. Alternatively, you could decide that you were not going to put up with your discoloured teeth any more and have this done on an ongoing basis to maintain nice looking white teeth.

The treatment

A teeth whitening treatment is relatively straightforward and is non-invasive and doesn’t usually require any form of local anaesthetic. Our cosmetic dentist will first of all protect your lips and gums so that the bleaching gel doesn’t come into contact with them as this could cause burning. The gel is then applied to your teeth and the process activated using a special light. The whitening process continues for just one hour and lightens not only the surface enamel of your teeth but the interior of it too. It is often this which is the cause of discolouration as it naturally darkens as we grow older however well we clean our teeth.

Finally, the gel will be removed and you will be left with teeth that are several shades whiter than they were before. Our Ipswich dentists can adjust the level of whiteness according to your wishes and we are aware that some patients might prefer to have a more subtle improvement than others.

Preventing Childhood Cavities

Too many children are still having their baby teeth extracted because of decay.

In 2017/18, almost 13,000 children under the age of five years old had teeth extracted due to tooth decay. This is an extremely high number for a problem that is almost entirely preventable. It might not always be easy, but as parents, we can do an awful lot of things that can help to minimise any risk of a child of ours suffering in this way.

As well as the long term pain and distress that tooth decay can cause a child, it may also have a negative impact on their development and self confidence, as we will see a little later on. In today’s blog, your local dentists take a look at this unnecessary problem.

Why tooth decay?

Any teeth that are not kept clean are likely to suffer from cavities. This applies whether you are 4 or 104 (if you are lucky enough to have any teeth left at that age!) The key is in avoiding food and drinks that are high risk for your teeth and gums, and making sure that you clean them diligently. As children can’t be expected to clean their teeth well themselves until they reach a certain age, the responsibility falls upon the parents to help them with this.

Watch what they eat and drink

We always presume that children crave sweet things, and there is much evidence for this. That being said, it is also possible that they develop a taste for this because we encourage it, giving them sweet things as a treat, for example. Try to keep these treats down as much as possible and experiment a little to see if your child enjoys other treats that are less harmful for their teeth.

The following are some of the more common ways that parents give their children unnecessary levels of sugar in treats.

Dipping their dummy/pacifier in sweet liquids
Putting sweet drinks in their bottle
Giving them ‘healthy’ treats such as raisins. These are terrible for tiny teeth
Giving them milk after their night time teeth cleaning

These things are very likely to lead to tooth decay and are easily avoided.

Clean their teeth

There can be a misunderstanding about the role of baby teeth. We might think of these as being less important because they will fall out. There are two key arguments about this approach. Firstly, pain is pain, whether it is your first or adult teeth and we shouldn’t even think about putting our children through that. Secondly, the baby teeth act as ‘placeholders’ for the adult teeth that are developing beneath them. If a child loses their first teeth too soon, it can have consequences for their adult teeth.

The following are a few straightforward ways of helping to make sure their teeth and gums are cleaned well.

Before any teeth come through, clean their gums with a soft damp cloth
When they come through, use a very soft toothbrush to clean them
Only use a tiny amount of toothpaste initially as too much fluoride may be harmful for very young teeth
Don’t let them eat or drink anything but water after their night time cleaning
Take them to see a dentist at the Foxhall Dental Practice around the time of their first birthday and maintain regular appointments with us afterwards

Additional problems of early years cavities

We mentioned earlier that it is not just the pain and distress caused by toothache that we should be concerned about. Children of such a young age will require hospitalisation to have a tooth out and will need to miss time from school or pre-school. This may mean that you will also have to take some time from work to be with them.