There are two kinds of people in this world, those who call their dentist right away when they experience oral pain, sensitivity, and toothaches and those that don’t and hope it goes away (I hate to say it, but it eventually does). This article will help explain why you should always be the kind of person who calls their dentist as SOON as a dental issue is noticeable.
Pain is a biological signal that tells you something is not right. It is very rare when ‘healthy’ hurts (your last spinning class doesn’t count!) When you experience a toothache something is causing that tooth to act up and cause pain. Your biology is trying to tell you to do something!
Reasons a tooth might hurt include:
- Tooth fractures
- Tooth root exposure
- Cavities
- Broken fillings
- Leaky fillings
- Sinus infections
- Soreness from clenching/grinding teeth
Many people feel that pain signal and hope it goes away. Even if the pain does go away, the problem that caused the pain is still there! Tooth sensitivity and toothaches have the ability to be masked by debris, food, and plaque that can temporarily insulate the sensitive area and cause “relief”, however it is just giving the problem time to worsen. Have you ever heard the phrase time is money? Well in this case it is true! The longer you wait to address a dental issue the more likely that treatment will cost you.
So what should you do when your tooth hurts?
Call your dentist as soon as you notice something different like pain or discomfort in your teeth or mouth. At your appointment your dentist will ask you a lot of questions in order to arrive at a diagnosis. It is important to allow your dentist to identify the cause of your dental issue early on before it turns into a bigger problem. From there, your dentist will discuss treatment options with your that range anywhere from coaching/teaching proper dental care, a simple filling, or something more involved based on the severity of the issue.
Moral of the story is this: Be a prevention oriented patient! You wouldn’t drive your car for 50,000 miles and never change the oil, right? Regular oil changes are important to maintain the health of your car, just like regular dental appointments are important to maintain the health of your mouth! The sooner you bring a dental issue to attention, the more likely the treatment of the issue will be simple and inexpensive. And we all love saving money, right?! The best thing you can do is build a relationship of trust with your dentist/hygienists so they can teach you how to care for your teeth instead of ‘fixing your teeth’.
Are you suffering from tooth pain or a toothache? Dr. Argersinger and team at DurhamDDS can help! We offer a generous helping of dental services for patients of all ages in the Triangle area. Call us at 919-286-0779 to set up an appointment or visit our website at durhamdds.com for more information. Did you find this article helpful and soothing? Please +1 if you are a gmail-er or like on FB at the top of the article! Thanks.