Let us look more closely at the common conditions of the mouth that can cause pain.
Somatic Pain Disorder
This condition stems from local (oral/periodontal) tissue injury, and shows up as inflammation and local tooth prob- lems, such as decay.
For example, you go to the hygienist for a thorough cleaning and now your gums feel raw and swollen. After leaving the office, you are having a sensation of pain. (Does this sensation make you feel that you want to return for another cleaning? No!)
My patients don’t experience this pain sensation, because after a gum treatment I massage the tissue thera- peutically with herbal toothpaste and clove oil or oreganol on a toothbrush. During a cleansing treatment, I dip the instrument into the oil to lubricate and numb the tissue.
Most patients feel soothed and nurtured after a treatment, and end up asking to come back.
Remedies: Have clove oil on hand for emergencies. If you feel pain on a particular tooth, dab a Q-tip into the clove oil and swab the oil onto the tooth surface. This will remove the painful sensation. However, if you see a dentist or hygienist regularly, a painful situation like this will occur much less frequently. Prevention can keep painful situations from occurring.
Abscess
Another cause of mouth pain may be an abscess, which is a localized infection of either the gums or a decayed tooth. A raw or abscessed gum can cause pain, and may even feel like a toothache or a nerve dying. The painful sensation will probably come on when you are drinking or eating cold food. Look in the mirror and see if you can locate the source of the pain.
Remedies:If your gum is raw and swollen and you see a bump on the gum that might be an abscess, rinse with warm sea salt water to draw the infection out. To reduce swelling, steep a tea bag in boiling water. Remove the tea bag from the water, let it cool, and place the bag on the source of the pain. The tannic acid in the tea bag will reduce the swelling and calm the irritation until you see your den- tist or hygienist.
Pericoronitis
This condition is due to the impaction, or crowding, of wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are found in the back of your mouth. Because of crowding, the area around the wisdom tooth may be hard to reach for cleaning purposes. The gum that surrounds this area then can get swollen and loose.
Remedies: Use an oral irrigator with peroxide (see chapter 5). Also, seek the advice of a dentist or an hygien- ist. To eliminate swelling, pour boiling water over a tea bag. Remove the bag from the water and let it cool. Then place the tea bag over the wisdom teeth that are causing you problems and bite down. You may get a sense of relief.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
There are only three to five cases per year per 100,000 peo- ple with this condition, and it is more common in those over fifty years of age. In this condition, you may think that you have a toothache when the pain isn’t really related to a tooth. Still, to rule out the possibility that it’s not a toothache, seek professional dental advice. A symptom of this condition may be that you have pain-free intervals—the pain comes and goes without reason. If a dental condition or a tooth problem causes your pain, you will have a con- tinuous aching, throbbing pain. Any stimulation worsens the pain. With trigeminal neuralgia, you feel only intermit- tent, brief, electric shock–like pain. A light touch will trig- ger the pain, which is part of trigeminal neuralgia. This condition is frequently misdiagnosed by dentists.
Remedies:Seek professional advice and have your den- tist or physician diagnose the problem. You should be treated for this condition professionally.
Phantom Pain (Atypical Facial Pain)
Phantom pain is a persistent pain in the teeth, face, or alve- olar process (bone) following a root canal therapy, an api- coectomy (surgical removal of an infection or cyst), or a tooth extraction. It may be a deep, dull ache with periodic sharp attacks. Three to six percent of those who undergo a root canal therapy have a phantom pain sensation in the area of the treated tooth. Phantom pain also is often expe- rienced in people who have lost limbs; they can still “feel”
the presence of the limb and pain that does not diminish in that area.
Remedies: Check with your dentist, who will try to determine the source of your pain and proceed with the pro- fessional treatment of choice.
Burning Mouth
Burning mouth is an intraoral chronic pain disorder that is usually without associated mucosal or oral signs. You may feel a burning sensation on your tongue, and stinging and itching in the front and back regions of your tongue. It can be caused by a geographic tongue (inflammation sporadi- cally mapped out on your tongue) or an infection such as candidiasis. Or you may have a contact allergy from wearing dentures.
Other causes may be a nervous condition, such as the bit- ing of one’s tongue or other tongue habits, or an allergic reaction to medications being taken. A person can have burning of the tongue or surrounding areas if he or she is anemic; with this condition there is a reddened area on the tongue called glossitis. This condition is either continuous or intermittent, and typically worsens as the day progresses.
It is relieved temporarily by eating and drinking. It is esti- mated that 8 percent of males and 6 percent of females suf- fer from this condition.
Remedies:Seek a physician’s advice rather than that of a dentist.
Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD)
Still another painful condition is related to temporo- mandibular disorder. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint by the ear that allows the mouth to open and close.
This joint can become arthritic, much as any joint in your body can, and can cause you pain.
Usually people complain about arthritis in their knees or in the joints of their fingers. But every joint is composed of synovial fluid and ligament attachment, and thus is subject to arthritis. A dental professional may be called on to locate and manage the complaints that occur around the TMJ.
Remedies:The treatment of choice by a dentist proba- bly would be a night guard. This will not cure the condi- tion, however, if the joint itself is arthritic, only ease the discomfort.
To relieve pain immediately, use warm compresses on the outside of the joint.
Mouth Ulcers
Often found in adults and teenagers, ulcers are indicative of a run-down physical condition. These open sores in the mouth can also occur after antibiotic therapy and during recovery from influenza. When the body’s immune system experiences much stress, the normal ecology of the mouth is compromised. Ulcers can be very painful, especially when one is eating and drinking.
Remedies:A mouthwash made with red sage leaves or echinacea by Bioforce will usually reduce the pain.