Dental pain

“ In neuralgia and other painful conditions of long standing, where there are no decayed teeth—or other dental causes for the pain—many permanent cures have been effected by pressure treatment. Almost it would seem that whatever tends to reduce the pain would also help remedy its cause, no matter how remote. ”

“ To attribute the obvious increase of nervous diseases during the present [Pg 262] generation to diseases of the teeth is a statement not only "sweeping," but "overdrawn." Much harm is no doubt done by some of the modern appliances "for retention in the mouth of substitutes for absent teeth," and the unhealthy state of the gums and contiguous parts, established and maintained by the presence of these substitutes, unquestionably give rise in many cases to reflected pain. ”

“ That diseased teeth do cause reflex trouble, not only in the head, but frequently in more remote parts of the body, is a fact well-known to every competent dentist. I am glad that Dr. Sexton has at last discovered the fact, that diseased teeth do frequently cause reflex pain in the ears, and in other neighboring parts, and that alveolar abscesses very often cause catarrhal affections of the maxillary sinus and of the nasal passages, and that diseased teeth will endanger the general health. ”

“ Every intelligent person is aware that, in order to ensure freedom from dental disease, it is necessary to have his teeth examined every six months, and to have small lesions dealt with in their very early stages. All have come to this conclusion because they know that neglected dental disease means pain ”

“ It is certainly possible, by a strong mental effort, to keep pain in subjection during a dental operation. A firmly fixed tooth, under a bungling operator, may be wrenched from the jaw without pain to the patient, if he will only determine not to feel. ”

“ This is one reason why many physicians and surgeons, using the method, make a routine practice of sending every patient, in whom dental disease is even suspected, for a thorough overhauling by a competent dentist.
Another reason for striving to keep all our original teeth in their places is that nature intended to preserve the continuity—if it may be so termed—of our various nerve zones. Sound, healthy teeth and roots in their normal occlusion, seem to assist in the normal functioning of the entire zone chain of which they are important links. ”

“ Dr. Thomas J. Ryan, of New York, is quite uniformly successful in desensitizing the gums for pyorrhoea treatment. While other dentists range on down to as low as 50% of successes, or even to zero.
There are probably very definite reasons for this, although it may be difficult to convince the average dentist that such exist. First, it requires a fine technic to find the various dental nerves, and, by commencing gently, and gradually increasing pressures, to anesthetize them without hurting the patient more than the operation might have hurt him. ”

“ Pressure at a with thumb and finger will often anesthetize that zone sufficiently for painless extraction. Any tooth may be prepared similarly.
Pressure at b with thumb and finger anesthetizes bicuspids and occasionally molars.
Pressure at III will aid materially in anesthetization.
With the lower front teeth, it has been found that to press or hold the inferior (or lower) dental nerve, where it enters the ramus (or groove) of the lower jaw, gives good anaesthesia. ”

“ The teeth are a fruitful source of suffering and of disease, and are with truth styled “our first and our last plagues.” Dentition is the most important period of a child’s life, and is the exciting cause of many infantile diseases; during this period, therefore, he requires constant and careful watching. When we consider how the teeth elongate and enlarge in his gums, pressing on the nerves and on the surrounding parts, and thus how frequently they produce pain, irritation, and inflammation ”

“ There are few adults who cannot describe the pangs of tooth-ach from their own feelings. It is generally intermittent, seldom dangerous to life, except during the{263} first dentition of infancy. Its constant symptoms, pain, flow of saliva, restlessness: its variable symptoms, swelled face, carious loosened teeth; fistula, exostoses of the gums and jaws. The causes, inflammation of the periosteum of the teeth, gums, or jaw; suppressed perspiration; moist air; catarrhal defluxion; suppressed habitual evacuations, nasal hemorrhage and venesection; plethora; intermittent, scorbutick, arthritick ”

“ If the nerve is not exposed, and there is a disposition to a return of the pain on exposure to cold air, or a change of weather, the pain being of a rheumatic character, give Rhus and Macrotin in alternation. These will relieve many cases. For decayed teeth, the pain being dull aching, with soreness, use Chamomilla. The body of the tooth, that is the dentine, sometimes becomes very sensitive when there is no decay or cavity, the pain being experienced when some hard substance hits, or the air or water, either cold or hot, comes in contact with the tooth. ”

“ It depends, in many cases, on a humorous fluxion of a hot or cold nature which flows into the alveolus, forcing the tooth outward, loosening it, and causing the patient so much pain on the slightest pressure being exercised on it, that he cannot dare to bite with it in the least. If, however, the tooth is corroded, hollowed out, or pierced to the root, the pain is so strong, when the patient drinks—particularly if the liquid is cold—that he seems to have had a stab with a stiletto inside the tooth. ”

“ In the last chapter of Book XVIII, first dentition and the treatment required during this period are spoken of. The cutting of teeth, says Paré, is accompanied by pain, itching, and pricking of the gums; often, as well by diarrhea, fever, epileptic convulsions, which sometimes end fatally. The symptoms by which it may be known that teeth are about to come forth are as follows: The wet-nurse feels the mouth of the suckling infant to be hotter than usual; the gums are swollen; the child is restless, crying often and sleeping but little ”

“ Every woman, and especially every mother, should know the time and order in which the infant teeth come, and, when any of the above symptoms appear, should examine the mouth, and if a gum is swollen and inflamed, should either have a physician lance it, or if this can not be done, should perform the operation herself. A sharp pen-knife and steady hand making incision to touch the rising tooth will cause no more pain than a simple scratch of the gum, and usually will give speedy relief. ”

“ If a tooth has been aching, and there is congestion about the pulp, or an exuding of pus, I invariably destroy it. I don't believe a pulp can be brought to a healthy condition to stand capping after it has reached that stage. But there are many cases where patients have neglected their teeth and had a little pain, or after taking sweets, they have a severe toothache that soon passes off, so that at the time of examination there is no soreness nor inflammation ”

“ But oftentimes, neither these nor other remedies are of any use, because the gums are too hard and the teeth cannot cut their way through at all; the tension of the gums then produces very violent pain, fever, and other accidents, death even supervening in some cases. The author, therefore, advises lancing the gums deeply, just above the tooth which ought to appear, thus opening it a way, that it may more easily come out. ”

“ If there is any reason to suspect adenoids, parents should take their children to a competent physician without delay.
Further, and on general principles, they should have their children's teeth thoroughly examined by a good dentist. A child whose teeth are decayed is a [72] child suffering both from nerve irritation and from some degree of poisoning, due to his swallowing food that has become infected by its contact with the germs of dental caries. Such a child has abundant reason to feel uncomfortable, pessimistic, and sullen. So has a child whose teeth, if not decayed, are crowded together. ”

“ Before we resort to the dentist for the aching tooth, we may reduce the inflammation by abstaining from food and starving the blood corpuscles, which hasten to the diseased part, until, perhaps, they feed upon the weaker and obnoxious tissues. This abstinence will go far toward removing the restlessness that is so torturing an accompaniment of the pain. ”

“ There is no part of you that poisonous germs attack more readily than your teeth. They get in between them and burrow inside them, and bring about that awful pain known as toothache, and the teeth decay and have to be pulled out ”

“ The gums are pale, or violet-red, hard and lumpy, sometimes bleeding; the toothache is continuous. Among the numerous remedies recommended against this malady (mouth washes, frictions, draughts, pills) , one particularly deserves mention: it is the urine of a child used as a mouth wash.
7. Tchong-che-tong. Pain in the teeth after mastication; there is also sometimes excoriation of the gums; flow of purulent mucus mixed with blood; bad-smelling breath; the tooth falls; it is decayed, and one can perfectly well distinguish a small hole; the root is unsound ”

“ In other words, we must give up resisting the grip. It is the same with any other disease or any pain. If we have the toothache and give all our attention to the toothache, it inevitably makes it worse; but if we give our attention to yielding out of the toothache contractions, it eases the pain even though it may be that only the dentist can stop it. ”

“ The theory of this mode of curing such an ailment is based upon true philosophical principles. Who does not know that the nerves of the teeth centre in the back of the head? It is evident, then, that by friction to that part, the inflammation will be drawn from the gums.
A friend of mine, suffering intensely from pain in the gums, found relief from a tepid sitz-bath of thirty minutes. As a preservative for the teeth, there is nothing like water. ”

“ This was afterwards done, and the patient soon lost his anxiety about cancer, his earache, and all his other severe symptoms.”
I cannot doubt that the starting point of a large number of similar painful ulcers and of true cancer of the mouth is to be looked for in disease of the teeth.
When we come to the teeth themselves, the pain lies in the irritated nerves of the pulp. Of course it cannot be denied that the pulp itself may be the original seat of the pain, but, if so, the number of such cases must be few. ”

“ But it is a safe plan to have the teeth looked over at least twice a year, for you may have broken a tooth without knowing it, and by the time a decayed spot is large enough to cause pain, or has made a hole that you can feel with your tongue, it has advanced much farther than it should have been permitted to do. ”

“ When the pain is situated in the root of the tooth or in its nerve, it is necessary, says the author, to distinguish whether it is caused by an accumulation of morbid matter, or whether it is, instead, a simple pain without matter. ”

“ It very often happens that the patient cannot indicate exactly which tooth it is that gives him pain, his sufferings being so acute as to appear spread over a great part of the jaw. One cannot, therefore, trust too much to the indications given by the patient as to the point of departure of the pain, and must take care not to extract a healthy instead of a diseased tooth. ”

“ The worst toothache, or neuralgia, coming from the teeth may be speedily and delightfully ended by the application of a bit of clean cotton saturated in a solution of ammonia to the defective tooth. Sometimes the late sufferer is prompted to momentary laughter by the application, but the pain will disappear. ”

“ The congestion of the sensitive dentine or the irritation of an exposed nerve filament causes about as severe pain as it is given to mortals to bear. Even with toothache, however, we can by occupying ourselves with friends, or with a pleasant book, or a game of cards, or the theater, so diminish the annoyance consequent upon the pain as to be comparatively comfortable. If anything completely occupies our attention as, for instance, a fire or an accident, or bad news from a friend, then it may be hours afterwards before we realize that we were suffering from a toothache. ”

“ The front teeth are called incisors because they are used to cut the food. The back teeth are named molars because they are used in grinding the food.
Fig. 32 —Photograph of teeth not kept clean, showing how germs and a sour substance called acid eat holes in them and thus cause decay and toothache.
Toothache.—Toothache is a common ailment, and yet it can be entirely prevented. A tooth does not ache until it has a hole in it. The tender nerve within gives us warning that it is being hurt. The dentist can stop the ache and mend the tooth so that it will not ache again. ”

“ These little germs always get into places that are not kept clean, and when they get into the mouth they go to work, like so many little carpenters, with pick and drill, and pick away the [60] outer covering of the tooth and then the tooth decays, and this causes toothache.
We all want to have pretty white teeth like Ned's, do we not? When we are little we must take care of the teeth, and if they begin to decay we must have them filled or treated by the dentist. Let us look at our teeth and see who has the prettiest and the best ones. Has every one a toothbrush? We must each have one. ”