Contents
Toothache is one of the most unbearable and painful sensations for a person. It occurs during pathological processes in the tooth or surrounding tissue that affects the nerve fibers. Paroxysmal pain affects mood, activity, sleep, and in especially severe cases leads to neuropsychiatric disorders. What are the causes of toothache and why does it get worse at night?
General characteristics of the state
Severe paroxysmal pain indicates inflammation of the pulp (the inner tissue of the tooth). The pulp is localized inside the dental canal. It consists of a nerve, connective tissue cells and blood vessels. The main task of the pulp is the delivery of vital elements to the hard tissues of the tooth. Inflammation of internal tissues is called pulpitis. Most often, it develops when an infection enters after a long-term current caries.
Possible reasons
Pain in the pulp is always associated with infection. Its penetration into the body is due to three factors – physical, chemical or biological. Physical factors include overheating of tissues, traumatic fracture of the dental crown, pathological abrasion of teeth. Pulp stones (formations from dentin) can also cause severe paroxysmal pain. They squeeze the vessels, which disrupt microcirculation, irritate the nerve endings and provoke the development of edema.
Chemical or iatrogenic factors are always associated with unskilled actions of the dentist. Among them – a violation of the rules for the use of etching gel (required for filling teeth), the use of low-quality / toxic filling materials, strong antiseptics for treating cavities.
Biological factors include cases of penetration of infection simply into the pulp chamber (for example, with caries). The risk of tissue infection increases with a secondary carious process that develops under the filling. Also, the infection can get inside through the dentinal tubules or the apical foramen (located at the top of the tooth).
The pain appears immediately after inflammation of the pulp. It is spontaneous, but can increase after mechanical impact on the tooth. Attacks of pain last from 10 to 30 minutes and in some cases are not amenable to medical anesthesia. What to do? See a dentist as soon as possible and get treated.
How to provide first aid?
First aid is provided during a severe painful attack in order to reduce its intensity and allow the patient to safely get to the doctor. The first step is to eliminate all possible irritants. If an attack occurs while eating, stop eating, rinse your mouth thoroughly and, if necessary, remove food debris with dental floss. Attach a cold object to your cheek to start a reflex vasospasm, relieve swelling and slightly reduce pain. The main thing – do not apply hot / cold objects directly to the tooth. This will cause complications and only aggravate the situation.
With severe toothache, doctors advise breathing exclusively through the nose. Air currents entering the oral cavity can additionally irritate a sensitive tooth and provoke pain. Drink an anti-inflammatory and immediately go to the dentist. The medicine will temporarily relieve swelling and eliminate pain, but with inflammation of the pulp, it is important to get rid of the root cause, not the symptom.
Features of therapy
Even a slight throbbing pain in the tooth should be a good reason to visit a doctor. The sooner treatment is started, the more healthy tissue, money and nerves can be saved. It is important to understand that the uncontrolled use of analgesics will not give the desired result. Temporary relief of pain will be replaced by new severe attacks, complications, the need for surgery.
Don’t try to rinse, heat, or put any medication in your tooth to help ease the pain. So you provoke the development of complications and only worsen the condition. The use of herbal preparations or traditional medicine should also be abandoned.
How to stop the pain? This question must be answered by the dentist after examining the oral cavity and the necessary diagnostic manipulations. Perhaps the inflammation is chronic, the tissue has begun to die, a large amount of pus has accumulated in the pulp chamber, and the patient needs an emergency operation. In this case, a few packets of painkillers will not solve the problem and will not bring the desired recovery closer.
If the inflammation is at the initial stage, and you simply do not have time to get to the doctor, drink a previously familiar analgesic, and after a few hours go to the hospital. The main thing is that self-medication does not become the main or only method of dealing with pulpitis. Remember – pain cannot be stopped, it will disappear only after the root cause is eliminated.
Do not ignore a toothache and be sure to visit a dentist. Lack of treatment can lead to tooth loss, inflammation of the entire jaw tissue and sepsis (general infection of the body).
Can pain be prevented?
Yes, pulp inflammation can be prevented. The main task of the patient is to monitor the hygiene of the teeth and visit the dentist regularly in order to stop the developing pathological processes. Prevention is the basic rules of oral care. Clean your teeth and tongue from food debris at least 2 times a day, use dental floss and specially selected balms or rinses. Do not forget about professional care. Comprehensive oral hygiene, fluoridation, removal of dental deposits are mandatory procedures that must be carried out at least 2 times a year. Before starting professional prophylaxis, seek the advice of a dentist.
Why does the pain get worse at night?
Increased pain at night is typical not only for dental pathologies. This is due to the human biological clock and our dependence on daylight hours. The peak performance of all organs and systems of our body falls on the morning-day period. By evening and night, all processes slow down, and the body prepares to go to sleep. During the day, all pathological symptoms are regulated by the adrenal glands. The body secretes specific hormones that act on the brain and “turn off” the pain centers.
By evening, the activity of the adrenal glands decreases, the amount of “pain-relieving” hormones decreases, and the intensity of the pain syndrome increases rapidly.
Moreover, during sleep we take a horizontal position, because of which the blood rushes to the head more strongly. Thus, the pressure on the nerve endings increases, and the toothache increases.
Also, the psychological factor should not be excluded. Most of our activity is in the daytime. We are busy, focused on specific tasks and can forget about a toothache for a while. At night, a person is in a relaxed state and concentrates exclusively on internal sensations. It may seem that nighttime pain is much more intense than daytime pain, but in most cases this is not the case.