Authors: Dr Lineé Santana López(Dentist, Instructor Professor)

                MSc Ihosvany Castellanos Santos(Assistant Professor)

Toothache

Tooth decay is the primary cause of toothaches for most children and adults. Bacteria that live in your mouth thrive on the sugars and starches in the food you eat. These bacteria form a sticky plaque that clings to the surface of your teeth.

Acids produced by the bacteria in plaque can eat through the hard, white coating on the outside of your teeth (enamel), creating a cavity.

The first sign of decay may be a sensation of pain when you eat something sweet, very cold or very hot. A toothache often indicates that your dentist will need to work on your teeth.

Swelling, pain when you bite, a foul-tasting discharge and redness indicate infection. If the pain persists for more than a day or two, you have fever with the toothache, or, if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, see your dentist as soon as possible.

If a permanent tooth is chipped or broken, collect all the pieces of the tooth, rinse the damaged area of the mouth with warm water, give the child a cold compress to hold on the injured tooth and see your dentist right away.

If a permanent tooth is knocked out, hold the tooth by the crown (the top), not the root, rinse the tooth immediately with saline solution or milk. Tap water should be used only as a last resort; it contains chlorine, which may damage the root. Do not scrub the tooth.

The best place to preserve the tooth on the way to the dentist is in its socket. If your child is old enough and mature enough not to swallow it, replace it gently, then have the child bite down on a gauze pad to keep it in place.

If the tooth cannot be reinserted, put it in milk - a good preservative because its chemical makeup is compatible with teeth. If milk is not available, place it inside your own mouth, between your teeth and cheek. It can also be placed in the child's mouth if he is old enough and mature enough to cooperate.