Toothaches

[Giselle]

Augh, I can't stand it. My upper left canine is killing me. A few months ago, the slightest pressure would make it hurt. It went away briefly, but now it's back

I know toothaches usually mean tooth decay, but come onnn, my teeth have been in pretty good shape. Cavity wise, I've only had one and that was at least 7 years ago. Plus, I'm young! Why am I having toothaches already?! I also noticed that the gum line on this tooth goes up farther than the rest, and it almost looks like it's recessing. But if what is true for dogs is true for humans, why would my gum be recessing? I brush my teeth diligently, fluoride rinse, etc. What the ..?!

Anybody else have toothaches??

[jackie]

Silly question, but have you been to the dentist?

[mike001]

Could you have an abcess under the tooth? Hope you aren't brushing up and down, my dentist advised that it causes problems, he said sideways only or you can send bacteria under the gumsline.

[rosethecopycat]

could be sinus infection

Good luck.

[Catty1]

My dentist says SOFT bristles on the toothbrush - that's what to use.

Here's some temporary toothache fixes I found in a new book I got, maybe they'll help:

1. Put a couple of drops of oil of clove onto a cotton boll, put it over the sore tooth, and bite down. Keep it there for several minutes.

2. Then take 6 oz water (warm), 1/4 tsp salt, and several drops of vanilla extract - swish in your mouth for a full 30 seconds (use your watch) and then spit out.

Both the cloves and vanilla extract help kill bacteria and numb pain.

This is just temporary til you get to your dentist. It could be a hairline crack, an abcess, anything.

If the receding gumline is the cause, you may want to use Sensodyne toothpaste for a while.

Good luck!

[Giselle]

Yeah, I go to the dentist regularly. I think my last visit was a couple months ago and they didn't find anything wrong. I think they took x-rays that time, so if I had a bacterial problem, I'm sure they would've told me. Nope, I can't brush up and down because the gum on that tooth is very sensitive and it hurts to brush up and down. Thanks for the suggestions, Catty. I'll do the vanilla swish, and I just went out and bought my old toothpaste, the Aquafresh extreme clean or something. When I was using this toothpaste, my tooth didn't hurt so I'm guessing it really does get things extremely clean!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear this. Maybe you should try buying Sensodyne Toothpaste. I also have some receding gums and my dentist said that it's caused by brushing too hard. Most people don't realize just how hard they brush their teeth. I hope that your toothache will go away soon. Good luck.

[Giselle]

Ooooh! That makes sense! I admit, I do brush extra hard because I'm so paranoid about, well, tooth decay So now my line of attack is to use soft bristles and not to brush as hard. We're making an appointment for a cleaning soon so I can bombard my dentist with questions.

[Catlady711]

My dentist tells me to make sure to brush the gums, gumline and tongue to get all the bacteria.

Also a side note, I have basically no enamal on my teeth (combo of genetics and drinking lots of soda for years) and my dentist says I have microfissures (sp?) in my teeth. Basically microscopic holes all over my teeth with no enamal to protect them, and it causes me to be very sensitive to hot/cold stuff. So something like that could cause problems also. As well as the above mentioned sinus problems.