Jaw Pain

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Jaw Pain


Jaw pain is most commonly caused by muscular spasm, usually a result of clenching or grinding. This could be occurring during the day or in your sleep without you knowing. The recommended treatment is seeing a physiotherapist who specialises in head, neck and jaw pain. You can also try some nurofen and a heat pack on the side of your face to allow the muscles to relax. If you are concerned about any symptoms you are experiencing always see your Dentist for a professional opinion.

Mouth Ulcers

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Mouth Ulcers


Mouth Ulcers are common, occur individually, in groups of 2-3 or occasionally some people have 10 or more at a time. They can occur a few times a year.

The underlying cause is not always certain, but is likely an immune mediated response. Common triggers include:

  • Emotional stress
  • Menstruation
  • Injury to the mouth (hot pizza, biting your own check etc.)

Most ulcers are painful for about 3-10 days and heal without a scar in about 2 weeks.

Treatment


  • Eating bland foods
  • Corticosteroid creams (mild creams are available without prescription from your local pharmacy)
  • A chlorohexidine based mouthwash (Savacol or Curasept)

Mouth ulcers can indicate a more serious underlying problem, such as:

  • Allergies
  • Vitamin or mineral deficiencies
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Lupus
  • Oral cancer

When to seek help

  • You are experiencing ulcers for the first time
  • Your sores are larger than 1cm
  • You are getting more sores, more often
  • You have other symptoms (rashes, joint pain, fever, diarrhoea)
  • The ulcers are not healing (even if they are not painful)

Wisdom Teeth

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Wisdom Teeth

Teething For Young Adults


Wisdom teeth commonly start to cause problems between the ages of 17-21.  The most common complaint is localised pain at the back of the jaw, which is constant, worsening and often debilitating.  It occurs as the wisdom teeth try and push their way into the mouth.  However, many people don’t have enough space to allow their wisdom teeth to fully erupt. Meaning the wisdom teeth are stuck half in the jaw bone and half sticking into the mouth – this is termed an ‘impacted tooth’.  Impacted teeth are difficult to keep clean and often get infected. Left untreated, a sore wisdom tooth can result in a severe facial swelling and sometimes hospitalization.

Dental Trauma

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Lost Tooth Or Dental Trauma

Dental Trauma – When A Tooth Is Knocked Out


  1. Locate the tooth immediately. Reimplanting the tooth is better than replacing the tooth.
  2. Pick up the tooth by the crown (the chewing surface) NOT the root. Try not to touch the root of the tooth.
  3. If dirty or covered in debris, clean the tooth as gently as possible, by rinsing the tooth with water, for the minimum time needed to make it clean.
    • Do not use soap or chemicals.
    • Do not scrub the tooth.
    • Do not dry the tooth.
    • Do not wrap the tooth in a tissue or cloth
  4. Reposition the tooth in the socket immediately, if possible.
    • The sooner the tooth is replaced, the greater the likelihood it will survive.
    • To reinsert, carefully push the tooth into the socket with your fingers, or position above the socket and close your mouth slowly. Hold the tooth in place with your fingers or by gently biting down on it.
    • If you are not comfortable or confident doing this and no medical help is available, store the tooth.
  5. Storing the tooth – Keep the tooth moist at all times. The tooth must not be left outside the mouth to dry. If it cannot be replaced in the socket, put it in one of the following:
    • Emergency tooth preservation kit (such as Save-a-Tooth®)
    • Milk
    • Mouth (next to cheek)
    • The tooth’s natural environment is salvia and blood. Have the patient spit into small container/snap lock bag to keep the tooth moist.
    • Regular tap water is not recommended for long-term storage because the root surface cells do not tolerate water for long periods of time.
  6. See a dentist as soon as possible (ideally within 60 minutes). Please bring the tooth with you to the emergency appointment.

Toothache

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Toothache


The most common cause of toothache is infection in the root canal of the tooth, or a gum infection around the tooth. However there are many other causes of tooth ache, which can only be differentiated with an examination and dental x-rays. Most toothaches will not resolve without treatment, seeking help early will often save unnecessary pain and cost.

Broken Tooth

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Chipped Teeth, Broken Teeth, Cracked Teeth


May indicate decay or underlying cracks in the tooth.  Often the sharp tooth may cut or irritate the cheek or gum. Treatment can be as simple as a quick repair, or if left untreated can lead to loss of the tooth.

May indicate decay or teeth grinding. Often the sharp tooth may cut or irritate the cheek or gum. Treatment can be as simple as a quick repair. However if a pattern of multiple broken teeth is starting to occur, teeth grinding leading to tooth wear may also be contributing factor.  As teeth get worn down, bite pressure can concentrate in different areas and cause teeth to be broken.