What to do if a child has a toothache

Toothache is not a pleasant sensation. Along with pain in the ear, toothache is considered one of the most intense and difficult to tolerate, since a large number of nerve endings are located in the gum. Everything is aggravated if the role of the patient is not an adult, but a child, whose torment is transferred many times more difficult. Diagnosis is complicated by the fact that the baby cannot describe the nature of the pain - aching, pulling or acute. Often children until the last do not say that they have a toothache, because they are afraid to go to the doctor. Therefore, unfortunately, most pediatric dental problems are detected already at a late stage of development, when serious and prolonged treatment is necessary. In this article, we will talk about the causes, treatment and anesthesia of children's toothache.

Why does a child have a toothache

The child can feel the first symptoms of toothache during eating, especially when eating hot, cold, sweet and sour foods. But why toothache occurs, and what reasons can contribute to this, let's try to figure it out.

1. Caries. This is the most common cause of toothache. As a rule, caries pain begins with discomfort when drinking hot and cold. The pain can be short or long - up to several minutes. At night, the tooth, as a rule, does not bother until the carious cavity completely affects the dentin. At the initial stage of development, caries can be recognized from the outside by characteristic yellow or whitish areas on the surface of the tooth; subsequently, a small hole appears on the enamel. In this case, you cannot pull with a trip to the doctor, because the structure of milk teeth is very soft, so caries is rapidly spreading over all dentin areas. This is fraught with inflammation of the nerve - pulpitis.
2. Pulpitis. When tooth decay penetrates so deep into the tooth root that it affects the lower part, it is often accompanied by inflammation of the pulp - the dental nerve. The pain in this case is quite characteristic - the tooth hurts from sweet and sour, pain does not go away for a long time, can last up to 10 minutes. Discomfort is felt when you touch the tooth with your finger - if you gently tap on it with your fingernail, the inflamed nerve will immediately make itself felt. Pulpitis is really dangerous, because the nerve will have to be removed, the tooth will become dead, the growth and development of the molar remains in question.
3. Periostitis (flux). This is inflammation of the periosteum, which causes severe pain, accompanied by temperature, swelling of the gums, cheeks, tongue and even lips. Periostitis occurs due to complications of pulpitis - when microbes from the affected part of the tooth and nerve penetrate the soft tissues, blood vessels, etc.
4. The result of treatment. Sometimes tooth pain can be the result of improper dental treatment. If the pain does not go away within a few days after the visit to the doctor, and only intensifies, then you should go to the doctor again and identify the cause of this pain. This happens if the carious cavity was not completely cleaned before filling. The formation of voids in the cavity, soft tissue injuries, violation of the technology of the procedure - all this can lead to the resumption of toothache. Sometimes toothache, accompanied by itching and a skin rash, speaks of the body's reaction to the filling material - it's just an allergy. In this case, the doctor is not guilty, but re-treatment with the replacement of filling material is necessary.
5. Injury. Often children experience toothache after an injury, bruise, fall, stroke. An active lifestyle of babies often leads to similar consequences.If a milk tooth hurts and staggers, it is most likely the result of an injury, a simple loss of a milk tooth does not cause severe pain. In this case, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible after the incident in order to save the tooth.

Please note that pain in the tooth area may not be related to the tooth itself. Gum inflammation and redness indicate gingivitis. Often, the dental nerve responds to inflammatory processes that are in close proximity - for example, diseases of the ENT organs.

How to relieve pain before visiting a doctor

A sick tooth is not a cold; in this case, it will not be possible to cure the child yourself. Therefore, the first thing you can do is go to the doctor. However, it is not always possible to go to the dentist at the same hour. Sometimes the pain occurs at night, sometimes you have to wait for a meeting with the doctor. In this case, you need to try to stop the pain symptom in various ways. This will make it easier for your baby to visit a dentist. You can do this by various means.

1. Painkillers Surely every good mom’s medicine cabinet has the simplest but most effective painkillers. As a rule, this group of children's preparations based on Ibuprofen, which not only relieve pain, but also lower the temperature if necessary. Older children can drink the Ketonal tablet, but this is a fairly powerful medicine, which is used only if nothing else helps.
2. Gels. For young children, special gels are sold that help relieve pain during teething. The same gels can be used for toothache, especially if it is associated with inflammation of the soft tissues - after using such products, the gums simply cease to feel anything. Among the most effective and safe can be noted Kalgel, Holisal, Kamistad, Denthol, etc.
3. Inspection Often, tooth pain can be caused by a piece of food stuck in the interdental space or a fish bone stuck in the gum. To do this, carefully examine the oral cavity of the child, especially the area that the baby complains about. You may need tweezers or floss to get rid of all the excess.
4. Rinse. This is another effective way to save your child from toothache. Cleaning the surface of the tooth from germs and bacteria can for a long time alleviate the condition of the baby. It’s much more effective to brush your teeth with a paste before rinsing. You can rinse your mouth with pharmacy drops and solutions, antiseptic compounds - Miramistin, Furacilin, Chlorophyllipt, etc. You can rinse your mouth with a solution of salt and baking soda. Various herbal decoctions are also effective - chamomile, St. John's wort, lemon balm, oak bark, calendula, sage, etc. Rinse your mouth with a warm solution, keep the liquid in your mouth until it cools, repeat rinse every hour.
5. Applications. Their principle is simple - a piece of sterile cotton wool or bandage is wetted in the drug and applied to the painful area of ​​the tooth. The cotton wool can be moistened in novocaine, you can put a small grain of aspirin inside the cotton wool. But in this case, cotton wool needs to be wrapped well around the tablet so that aspirin does not burn the tender children's mucous membrane. Applications can be made on the basis of garlic and onion juice, eucalyptus and clove oil, propolis, valerian, etc.
6. Tooth drops. These are medicines for children that can be used as a rinse - to prepare a solution from drops or to make an application with them. They gently relieve inflammation, soothe, anesthetize, and disinfect. Among them, one can distinguish Escadant, Dentinorm, Dentinox, Xident, etc.

In the fight against acute toothache, in no case do not use painkillers that are intended for adults. A diseased tooth cannot be heated, otherwise the inflammation may intensify.During the period of toothache, the child should eat only warm and liquid food, after eating, the mouth should be rinsed. Even if the pain completely disappears, you must definitely see a doctor to rule out the appearance of complications.

Do I need to treat milk teeth

Many parents believe that milk teeth should not be treated, because still they will be replaced by permanent ones. But this is a fairly widespread misconception. Indeed, if a child of 6-7 years old and his milk teeth began to change constantly, they should not be treated - very soon they will fall out. But if the child is 3-4 years old and until the complete change of teeth there is more than one year, treatment is still necessary. Firstly, to relieve the child of pain and discomfort. Secondly, carious cavities can infect neighboring teeth, which partially change to molars. That is, caries can pass from a sick milk to a healthy permanent tooth. Thirdly, caries is fraught with early loss of primary teeth. This leads to a violation of the order of growth of the dentition. As a result, molars can grow crooked, begin to find one on the other, the child will have to wear braces to align the teeth. Therefore, milk teeth should be protected no worse than permanent teeth - this is the basis of a healthy and beautiful smile in the future.

In addition, timely access to a doctor provides quick, inexpensive and painless treatment. In case of caries, the affected dentin is drilled to the child, the cavity is cleaned and a seal is placed. Milk teeth are very susceptible to destruction, so the doctor may suggest silvering the teeth to keep them healthy and strong. With pulpitis, when the inflamed nerve can no longer be saved, it is removed. The flux is necessarily opened under anesthesia, the inflamed tissues are cleaned, and antibiotics are prescribed along with additional treatment. Gingivitis, stomatitis and other gum diseases are treated with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs.

How to protect your child from toothache

Children's teeth health is based on three main factors - heredity, thorough hygiene and a sufficient number of trace elements in the body. And if it is impossible to influence the first factor, then care and nutrition are in our hands. Teach your child to protect his teeth from childhood, and he will be able to keep them healthy until old age!

Video: how to quickly get rid of a toothache