Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Tag: healthy teeth

Healthy Teeth

What Causes a Toothache

Toothache“This toothache is killing me!” Okay, this might be an exaggeration, but if you have a toothache now, or have ever had one in the past, you probably don’t think so. Anyone who has never had a toothache cannot possibly know the pain, not to mention the disruption it can cause in your life. You have trouble eating because you can only eat on one side of your mouth, and you often can’t stand any food that’s too cold or too hot. (And how many of the foods you love does this eliminate? In those cold Essex County winters, you can’t drink anything hot, and in those warm Jersey summers, you can’t eat anything cold!) You have trouble sleeping because the pain keeps you awake unless you reach, yet again, for pain killers. Yes, a toothache only seems like it’s not a big deal to a person who’s not suffering from one. So what caused your toothache?

The Structure of The Tooth

Healthy TeethYou may gaze into the mirror and simply see a set of pearly whites grinning back at you, but those teeth are a little more complex in their composition – more than you probably have ever thought about.

When you think of it, your teeth are challenged every day to withstand icy cold or steaming hot drinks, or to crunch down and pulverize every piece of food that you put into your mouth.  We’ve had our current teeth since we outgrew our baby teeth and got the permanent set, and, for some, old cavities or dental issues forced us to get crowns so that our old metal fillings were not so unsightly.