Due to the epidemic, not all dental offices are open. Our expert dentist has prepared a guide on how to help yourself at home when your tooth hurts, the filling has dropped out or your gums are inflamed.
Are there any dental problems where teleportation is enough or we can help ourselves after consulting a doctor? I will try to present you a few situations in which a visit to the dentist’s may be temporarily postponed .
Toothache
It would seem that toothache is toothache and that’s it. In such a situation, the only action is to treat the tooth or remove it. It is not that simple. In dentistry, the interview is as important as in family medicine. What are the types of pain and what do they testify to?
1. “Cold” pain is usually a reaction of a living tooth (very rarely a dead tooth). In the case of this pain, it is important to differentiate its intensity (e.g. on a scale of 1-10) and duration (only when drinking cold, it lasts longer). The accompanying symptoms are also important, eg pain when brushing teeth, when flossing, pain “warm”.
Such pain may indicate:
Hypersensitivity – it is enough to use a toothpaste desensitizing or with a high concentration of fluoride
Pulpitis – must dentist and root canal treatment or at least the “opening” of such a tooth
Unveiling necks of the teeth – it may be associated with parafunkcjami (i.e., grinding of the teeth and clamping); in this case, the doctor may suggest contacting a physiotherapist or recommend exercises by sending a link to them, e.g. on YouTube)
2. Pain “warm “, often changing under the influence of cold, is a clear sign of irreversible pulp inflammation. In this case, a visit to the dentist and root canal treatment is necessary (and at this point, if full root canal treatment is not possible, at least “tooth opening”).
3. “Sweet ” pain is related to the formation of a carious cavity or unsealing of the filling (ie the formation of caries in a previously treated tooth), which was previously made. An untreated tooth that hurts sweet should be prepared and there should be at least a temporary filling.
4. Pain in the evening after going to bed – related to pulpitis or exacerbation of chronic inflammation in the bone under the previously root canal treated tooth. In case of
Inflammation pulp – it is necessary to dentist and root canal treatment or at least the “opening” of such a tooth
Exacerbations of chronic inflammation of bone – can be used antibiotic (e-prescription), and later re-perform the root canal treatment
5. Pain on biting. It may be associated with the exacerbation of chronic inflammation (pain on a scale of 1-10 out of 7-8). Proceedings as above.
6. Unlocalized, diffuse, dull pain – may indicate pulpitis (as described above), interdental papillitis (thorough tooth cleaning and interdental flossing necessary) or is more often associated with the so-called functional disorders of the temporomandibular joint. In this case, the doctor may recommend contacting a physiotherapist or recommend exercises by sending a link to them, e.g. on YouTube)
7. Pain in the morning, after getting out of bed, related to a stiff neck , mostly related to functional disorders. Proceedings as above.
8. Pain to touch (pain when brushing / flossing) is the most common tooth sensitivity. In this case, the doctor will recommend a toothpaste with a high concentration of fluoride after telephone contact.
Toothache in a child
In this case, I always recommend telephone contact with the dentist, who will decide on the course of action.
Loss of filling
In the event of loss of the filling, the most important thing is to thoroughly clean the teeth of food debris. After contacting the phone and viewing a photo (e.g. taken with a mobile phone), the dentist may recommend the purchase of a temporary filling available online.
In this case, the dentist will instruct the patient on how to properly clean the tooth and instruct the patient on how to apply the filling. If such a filling is used, it is important to replace it as soon as the pandemic is over. It is worth remembering that such filling may also fall out during use.
Tooth injuries in adults
In the case of dental trauma in adults, I currently recommend the same treatment as for a child.
I would like to emphasize the need for a medical consultation before starting any treatment, because by skillfully conducting an interview, he will be able to offer temporary treatment. Please do not use any of these methods without consulting your dentist. The above advice is intended to help you ONLY in a pandemic.
After the offices are restored to normal operation, a visit to the dentist is necessary, because untreated teeth and changes in the oral cavity can lead to dangerous systemic effects (the so-called focal disease).