{"id":1160,"date":"2020-12-16T18:19:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T18:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/dont-let-a-toothache-ruin-your-day\/"},"modified":"2020-12-16T18:19:41","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T18:19:41","slug":"dont-let-a-toothache-ruin-your-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/dont-let-a-toothache-ruin-your-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Let a Toothache Ruin Your Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/12\/toothache-2020_543.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"543\" height=\"543\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/12\/toothache-2020_543.jpg 543w, https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/12\/toothache-2020_543-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2020\/12\/toothache-2020_543-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>WHAT CAUSES TOOTHACHES?<\/b> There are a few different causes, and we want our patients to be familiar with them as well as what they can do about them if a toothache strikes at a time when it\u2019s not so easy to make a quick visit to the dentist.<\/p>\n<h3>Toothache Causes: The Usual Suspects<\/h3>\n<p>Tooth decay is the most common cause of toothaches, but it\u2019s not the only one. Others include <strong>gum disease, pulp inflammation, and dental abscess<\/strong>. An injury to the face can also result in a toothache even if the tooth and surrounding gum tissue were perfectly healthy beforehand! Teeth impacted in the jaw can be painful too. There\u2019s also tooth sensitivity, and sometimes simple congestion or a sinus infection can feel a lot like a toothache.<\/p>\n<h3>Can\u2019t Get an Appointment Immediately? Here\u2019s What to Do.<\/h3>\n<p>We encourage anyone with a toothache to schedule an emergency dental appointment, but <strong>sometimes toothaches aren\u2019t polite enough to pop up during the dentist\u2019s normal hours<\/strong>. What then? Fortunately, there are a few things patients can do to manage their pain level until the dentist can see them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine<\/li>\n<li>Apply topical pain relievers<\/li>\n<li>Apply a cold compress to the sore area<\/li>\n<li>Rinse and spit warm salt water to reduce the inflammation (don\u2019t swallow it!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Pjn8T2vFrw?rel=0\" width=\"543\" height=\"305\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Tips for Preventing Future Toothaches<\/h3>\n<p>Toothaches aren\u2019t 100% preventable, particularly when sinus infections or injuries are the cause, but keeping up with dental health habits will certainly help your teeth stay in good shape. <strong>Most important among these are daily brushing and flossing<\/strong>. Make sure to brush twice a day for two full minutes, using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.<\/p>\n<p>We can also make toothaches less likely by <strong>cutting down on sugary foods and drinks<\/strong> (which are what harmful oral bacteria love to eat), and by drinking water afterwards when we do have something sugary.<\/p>\n<h3>Regular Dentist Appointments Help Prevent Toothaches<\/h3>\n<p>Another important way to prevent toothaches before they happen is by keeping up with a regular dental exam schedule. For most patients, <strong>this means coming in twice a year<\/strong>. These appointments matter because even the most diligent brushing and flossing won\u2019t always get all the plaque and tartar. It\u2019s also better to catch a problem before it gets bad enough that you actually feel symptoms like a toothache, because then it\u2019s easier (and cheaper!) to treat.<\/p>\n<h3>Let\u2019s Keep That Smile Toothache-Free!<\/h3>\n<p>Never forget that pain is the body\u2019s natural alarm system to let us know when something\u2019s wrong. That\u2019s why we should never ignore a toothache. It won\u2019t go away on its own, and whatever\u2019s causing it will likely get worse, so if you have a toothache, make sure to schedule an appointment. The dentist will get to the bottom of it and recommend the right steps to take next.<\/p>\n<h4>It\u2019s never too soon for preventative dentistry!<\/h4>\n<h6>Top image used under <span style=\"color: #2a7abd;\"><a style=\"color: #2a7abd;\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/share-your-work\/public-domain\/cc0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC0 Public Domain license<\/a><\/span>. Image cropped and modified from original.<\/h6>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #d9d9d9;\">The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.<\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><b>WHAT CAUSES TOOTHACHES?<\/b> There are a few different causes, and we want our patients to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[176,273,280,274,275],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-1160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-dental-posts","category-endo","category-general-dental","category-pediatric","category-176","category-273","category-280","category-274","category-275","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1160"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=1160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}