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A patient named Stacey, age 27, called us last month and reported that she was suffering from an intermittent and annoying toothache. The symptoms were not consistent, and did not appear to have a definite pattern. Sometimes the tooth would ache while drinking hot or cold drinks, while at other times it would be fine. She also told us that most of the time when she chewed food, there were no symptoms of a toothache. However, she often felt a dull aching pain strike the side of her mouth at unpredictable times during the workday, which made it difficult for her to concentrate, and which was making her irritable toward her coworkers. She asked us if we could diagnose the cause of this pain and provide a treatment that would stop these unpredictable bouts with discomfort.
While it may sound a bit surprising to some readers, Stacey’s case is not unusual. While many people assume that a toothache is just that–a tooth that aches with intense, chronic pain all the time. Actually, there are just as many cases where the symptoms are less severe, but nonetheless troubling. Intermittent teeth problems are very similar to a mild headache that lingers for hours, causing just enough pain to keep the mind from focusing and the body relaxing. The sporadic and unpredictable nature of many toothache symptoms make it hard for people to enjoy daily life, because they never know when the next round of pain is about to begin, what they should and should not eat, and what they might say impulsively to the wrong person in a state of agitation.
Regardless of the severity of the symptoms, toothaches tend to be caused by problems deep within the tooth. Even if the pain is not crippling from a physical standpoint, it is almost always an indicator that the root below the gumline has deteriorated to the point that a root canal will be necessary. This often happens when old silver-mercury fillings fall out without the patient’s knowledge. Decay then sets in, which ultimately works its way all the way down to the root. Even if the pain is not acute and consistent, the symptoms can become much worse very quickly, and more severe issues such as an abscess can develop.
A thorough examination of Stacey’s case history revealed a number of fillings during her childhood and early adolescence. A further, closer look with our intraoral camera revealed that one of these fillings had falling out, and decay had indeed gone down through the tooth and was in the process of killing the root. Even though the symptoms of Stacey’s toothache were relatively mild and sporadic, this was deceptive. When a root is dying like this, pain is not always overwhelming until the very last moment. At this point, severe infection that can lead to an abscess has often set in, and the problem is now compounded by bacterial infection.
Fortunately, this had not happened to Stacey. We had caught the situation in time to treat her case with a simple a root canal and dental crown. This is by far the safest course of action in any instance where the interior of a tooth becomes infected at the root level. It is important that people like Stacey suffering from only intermittent symptoms of a toothache seek professional treatment as soon as possible. The possibility of an abscess can never be taken lightly, because abscesses have been known to cause fatal infections when left too long. Taking firm measures early on deals with the cause of a toothache as well as its symptoms, and eliminates concerns of both worst case scenarios and daily discomfort once and for all.
Cosmetic Dentistry Center. For more information about Dental Abfraction, General Dentistry, and Cosmetic Dentistry visit us online now.
Article Source: ArticleSpan
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