Dant Dard Ka Ilaj aur Dawa: A Jodhpur Dentist's Guide to Toothache

Dant dard kyon hota hai? (Why does a tooth hurt?)

Toothache is most often caused by tooth decay that has reached the nerve, a cracked or broken tooth, an infection at the root tip (abscess), or infected gum around a wisdom tooth. Sharp pain with cold or sweet food usually means early decay or sensitivity; throbbing pain that wakes you at night usually means the nerve itself is inflamed.

• Sharp, brief pain with cold, hot or sweet: sensitivity or early decay. Usually fixed with a filling.
• Throbbing pain that lingers, or wakes you at night: the nerve is inflamed. Usually needs a root canal.
• Pain on biting, with a swollen gum or a bad taste: infection at the root or in the gum.
• Pain at the very back of the mouth with a swollen gum flap: a wisdom tooth coming through.
• Pain in the upper back teeth during a cold: sometimes the sinus, not the tooth.

Dant dard me turant kya karein? (What to do right now)

For immediate toothache relief, take an ordinary over-the-counter painkiller exactly as directed on the pack, hold a cold pack wrapped in cloth on the cheek for 15 minutes at a time, rinse gently with warm salt water, and floss around the tooth in case food is trapped. Sleep with your head raised on two pillows.

• Avoid very hot, very cold and sweet food and drink on that side.
• Chew on the other side, and keep food soft: dal, khichdi, curd.
• Do not put aspirin, a tablet or raw clove directly on the gum. It burns the gum and does not reach the nerve.
• Do not heat the cheek. Warmth can make an infection spread faster.

Dant dard ki dawa kaun si lein? (Which medicine is safe?)

The safest medicine for toothache is an ordinary over-the-counter painkiller, taken exactly as the pack or a pharmacist directs, for a short time only. Antibiotics do not relieve toothache and should only be taken when a dentist prescribes them. If you are pregnant, take other medicines, or have stomach, kidney or liver problems, ask a doctor or pharmacist first.

Two common mistakes make toothache worse. The first is taking leftover antibiotics from an old prescription: the wrong drug, the wrong dose or an incomplete course does not treat the infection and adds to antibiotic resistance. The second is taking painkillers for days to avoid the dentist. The pain often fades for a while when a nerve dies, and then returns as an abscess.

Raat ko dant dard zyada kyon hota hai? (Why it is worse at night)

Toothache feels worse at night because lying flat sends more blood to the head, raising the pressure around an inflamed nerve that is trapped inside the tooth, and because there is nothing to distract you. Sleeping with the head raised on two pillows helps. Pain that wakes you up is a sign the nerve is badly inflamed and needs treatment soon.

Gharelu upay: kya kaam karta hai, kya nuksan karta hai (Home remedies)

A few home remedies ease toothache briefly: warm salt-water rinses, a cold compress, and a drop of clove oil on a cotton bud held against the tooth, not the gum. Others cause harm: aspirin or tablets placed on the gum burn it, alcohol and kerosene damage the tissue, and heat packs can spread infection. None of them treats the cause.

• Helps for a short time: warm salt water, cold compress, head raised at night, a drop of clove oil on the tooth.
• Harmful: aspirin or any tablet on the gum, raw clove pressed into the gum, alcohol, kerosene, tobacco or gutkha on the tooth, hot compresses.
• Does not work: tying anything around the wrist or finger, mantras and acupressure in place of treatment.

Dant dard aur sujan: kab emergency hai? (When to go to hospital)

Toothache becomes an emergency when the infection spreads beyond the tooth. Go to a hospital emergency department straight away, or call 108 or 112, if swelling is spreading towards the eye or down the neck, you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, you cannot open your mouth, or you have a high fever with facial swelling. Do not wait overnight.

• Hospital now: swelling spreading to the eye or neck, difficulty breathing or swallowing, cannot open the mouth, high fever with swelling.
• Dentist the same day: facial or gum swelling without those signs, a knocked-out adult tooth, a broken tooth showing pink or red inside.
• Dentist within 1 to 2 days: toothache controlled by painkillers, a lost filling or crown, a chipped tooth.

Garmi me thanda paani pite hi dard? (Sensitivity in Jodhpur's summer)

A sharp, short twinge when you drink cold water or eat ice is usually tooth sensitivity, not deep decay. It is common in Jodhpur's summer, when temperatures pass 40°C and people drink iced water all day. A toothpaste for sensitive teeth, used for two to four weeks, often helps. If the pain lingers after the cold has gone, see a dentist.

Sensitivity comes from exposed dentine, the layer under the enamel, often where gums have pulled back or enamel has worn from hard brushing or acidic food. Drinking enough water also matters in the heat: a dry mouth makes decay progress faster, because saliva is what neutralises acid on the teeth.

Dentist kya ilaj karega? (What the dentist will do)

A dentist treats toothache by finding the cause with an examination and usually an X-ray, then fixing it: a filling for decay that has not reached the nerve, a root canal when the nerve is infected, draining an abscess, or removing a tooth that cannot be saved. At Pain-Off Dental Care in Jodhpur, root canal treatment starts from Rs 4,000, including the crown.

The pain is brought under control first, often at the same visit. Saving the tooth with a root canal is usually better and cheaper over the years than removing it and replacing the gap later with an implant or bridge.