| Home | “Since then, I’ve discovered, through the mercy of a more experienced dentist in Houghton, Michigan, that if I get a “toothache,” the problem is actually periodontal infection, probably caused by a particle of decaying food having gotten lodged under my receding gums or under one of my crowns (caps)!” |
In Detroit, Michigan, USA, in 1999, I had a bad “toothache.” I went to a dentist, who, after taking x-rays, couldn’t find anything wrong except for an impacted wisdom tooth pressing up against a tooth which was in the area of the pain. I then had the wisdom tooth removed by an oral surgeon. To my disappointment, the pain was still there, just like before!
By the way, they don’t tell you that having a wisdom tooth extracted can cause complications. A few years later, the tooth that the wisdom tooth was pushing against fell apart and had to be removed! This was probably because the tooth, already weakened due its containing a large silver filling, was damaged while the wisdom tooth was being extracted.
I don't remember what happened next, but I assume that the pain finally went away on its own.
Since then, I’ve discovered, through the mercy of a more experienced dentist in Houghton, Michigan, that if I get a “toothache,” the problem is actually periodontal infection, probably caused by a particle of decaying food having gotten lodged under my receding gums or under one of my crowns (caps)!
They don’t tell you that getting crowns increases your likelihood of getting a painful infection! They also don’t tell you that there is a good chance that the capped tooth will eventually die, become loose, and cause pain while eating. Pain which doesn’t go away until the very expensive tooth is pulled out or falls out on its own! I actually had this happen to two side-by-side capped teeth. For several years, they were loose and caused me pain while I was eating. As the years went by, they became more and more loose. Finally one fell out on its own due to my having bitten into a cherry seed which wasn’t supposed to be there. Then I realized that I was better off without the other one also. Therefore, I pulled it out with my fingers! Pulling that tooth was a very painful process: I could hear the flesh tearing as I pulled, and there was a lot of blood! But, it was worth it: no more pain while I’m eating!
If you catch the infection early, when you first start to feel some pain, you can usually get rid of it by simply “making like a dentist” and picking around under your gums in the area of the pain using a stainless steel dental pick. (Don’t be afraid of a little blood!) I keep one handy near where I eat. I even have a short one with a protective cap (designed for travel) that I can carry in my pants pocket. A few months ago, I got into the habit of using such a pick to thoroughly clean under all of my gums, once a week, while watching a movie. Since I started doing this, I haven’t gotten a single infection! (Knock on wood!)
If the dental pick solution doesn’t solve the problem, then you could go to a doctor or to a dentist and get a prescription for an anti-biotic and/or prescription mouth wash, but it isn’t usually necessary. I’ve discovered the (painfully) hard way that the infection can usually be gotten rid of by doing the following procedure two times a day, once in the morning, and once just before bed:
1. Scrape your tongue using a tongue scraper. (I use a solid copper one which was made in India, but plastic tongue scrapers may be purchased at Walmart™.)
2. Floss your teeth paying particular attention to the afflicted area. (I use Johnson & Johnson™ dental tape.)
3. Rinse your mouth for 60 seconds using Listerine™ Whitening Pre-brush Rinse, rigorously swishing it around and through the afflicted area.
4. Brush your teeth spending a lot of time brushing the painful area, especially the gums around the painful area. (I use a “4 for a dollar” soft bristle tooth brush from The Dollar Tree™ and Colgate’s™ Ultrabrite™ Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening toothpaste (also from The Dollar Tree), who’s active ingredient is sodium monoflourophosphate, which was determined by Consumer Reports™ several years ago to be the most effective decay preventative toothpaste additive.)
5. Rinse your mouth for 30 seconds using Listerine or Walmart™ Equate™ amber colored mouth wash, rigorously swishing it around and through the afflicted area.
My conclusion is that using non-prescription mouthwashes such as Listerine Whitening Pre-brush Rinse, and Listerine or its equivalent amber mouth wash deliver a very effective “one-two punch” for getting rid of oral infections, but they should be thought of as very powerful medicines, so don’t use them as a regular thing, because then, when you really need them to get rid of an infection, they probably won’t work. This is because the only infectious bacteria left in your mouth will be the ones that are resistant to the mouthwashes.
In addition to the above, it also helps to sleep with an electric heating pad on top of your pillow and pressed up against the painful area and/or to apply Tiger Balm™ to the painful area. This has an immediate effect of reducing the pain, but more importantly it increases the blood flow to the area of the infection, thus speeding up the healing process.
It also helps to gargle with a solution of 1 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
The last time that I tried all of the above, it greatly reduced the pain, but the infection continued to “hang on” for several days. I figured that my immune system must be weak due to a lack of exercise, and being cooped up indoors during the long winter of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. My solution was to eat meals such as “Quick and Easy Immune System Booster” (http://llbest.com/?P=4h, which uses the powerful immune system boosting spices: onions and garlic. The result of adding this special diet to my mouthwash and heating pad treatment routine was that my “toothache” was gone in two days!
If you are prone to getting infections, then it’s a good idea to avoid eating onions and garlic as a regular thing. Otherwise they probably won’t be effective as a cure. This is because your body has developed an immunity to them.
If all else fails, go to your doctor or dentist and request a prescription for a 10 day supply (30 tablets) of “PENICILLIN VK 500MG TAB.” I've done this 3 times, and each time there was no more pain a few minutes after swallowing the 1st tablet! This, however, should be done as a very last resort, because taking an antibiotic too often will result in your body developing an immunity to it, thus making it less effective in the future.
As a side issue, several years ago, I stopped flossing my teeth! I had decided that it was simply a waste of time and money due to the fact that the areas between my teeth where food would normally get lodged have all been drilled out because of past tooth decay. So why bother? Since then, my dental problems have actually decreased, and no more trips to the dentist! (Again, knock on wood!)
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