So, what to do if you have cold feet and sore teeth:
- Before going to the doctor, it is safe to take measures such as rinsing your mouth with a solution of salt and soda as self-help.
- You can apply a small piece of fresh lard to the gum for 20-30 minutes. If this product is not in your refrigerator, replace it with a clove of garlic, placing the fresh cut on the gum tissue.
- Soak a cotton swab with clove oil and place it in the caries cavity, or on an inflamed area. Keep it until the discomfort goes away.
- Rubbing fir essential oil into the pathological area gives good results.
- Rinsing your mouth with propolis tincture in alcohol added to water at room temperature will help. Proportions: 1 tbsp. spoon per glass of water.
Medicines
To cure gum inflammation when the patient has a cold, a qualified doctor is needed. Only he can competently prescribe drug therapy. For severe pain, it is permissible to use Nurofen, Tempalgin, Paracetamol. The local anesthetic is Lidocaine. The dentist must examine the oral cavity and may refer the patient for an x-ray for a detailed examination of the abnormal area. The image clearly reflects the inflammatory process, which helps the dentist develop the correct treatment program.
Thus, a pathological nerve can be treated in a radical way, when soft tissue is removed. Conservative techniques are also used with the prescription of antiseptics, antibiotics and non-steroidal drugs. The main thing is to stop the rapid development of the infection process, which is caused by hypothermia. If this is not done, there is a risk of serious complications, even unit loss and tissue necrosis.
What does it mean to “catch a tooth”: expert opinion
It is impossible to freeze the tooth itself, that is, its components such as enamel, dentin and pulp. Therefore, this phrase is absolutely incorrect and is never used in official medicine. But this concept is often used in everyday life, for example, when teeth hurt after a person was hypothermic or was blown away. Some people say this when they have pain due to acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, influenza and other non-dental pathologies, although this is again wrong.
Important! Are you feeling cold? It is not surprising that against this background your teeth ache. However, an alarming sign may also indicate the presence and exacerbation of various diseases of a dental and non-dental nature.
Sometimes they also say “the nerve of the tooth caught a cold” or the phrase “the nerve was blown” is used. This usually means inflammation of the neurovascular bundle of fibers (pulp), securely hidden by enamel and dentin. But in this case, the cause of the pathology is not colds and hypothermia; rather, they act as catalysts leading to an exacerbation of the inflammatory process already existing in the tissues in the initial or chronic stage. In official medicine, the disease is called pulpitis.
Preventive measures
In most cases, the symptom of a cold tooth is a complication. This is explained by the fact that any negative factor begins to directly affect the nerve, provided that the integrity of the tissues in the tooth is compromised.
That is why the best preventative methods in the fight against this disease will be timely treatment and periodic examinations by the dentist. You also need to carefully monitor your oral hygiene and use it to remove food debris from your teeth. This will help prevent the development of tooth decay.
In addition, you should remember that you can get a cold in your nerves even in unfavorable weather conditions. Cold weather and wind often cause this problem.
This is why it is so important to carefully choose clothing that will fully protect you from the elements.
As a rule, if a patient seeks medical help from a dentist with the statement that he has a cold in his tooth, we are talking about acute pulpitis and, as a result, an inflamed dental nerve. The risk of this problem increases in patients with untreated caries, chipped teeth after hypothermia or a cold.
The main reasons associated with the unpleasant phenomenon
What happens to a person when he gets hypothermia, gets a strong wind, or catches an infectious or viral disease accompanied by inflammation of the ear-nose-throat area? His body temperature rises, a cough and runny nose appears, and all surrounding tissues swell. Against this background, pain arises, which most often covers the entire head, often radiating to the jaw and teeth - this is one of the main reasons why there is a feeling as if the teeth were blown. But there are other factors that lead to this phenomenon. Let's consider them further.
Exacerbation of existing dental pathologies
With hypothermia, as well as any diseases of the body, the immune system sharply decreases, which means that pathologies that already existed before but were not treated become aggravated and progress. For example, caries, chronic pulpitis and periodontitis. Against the background of decreased immunity, untreated caries can very quickly become complicated by pulpitis and periodontitis[1].
On a note! This unpleasant phenomenon is typical for people with weakened immune systems: children, the elderly, women during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
During this period, a cyst or granuloma may make itself known, which gradually grew and remained undetected for a long time. And periodontitis often leads to the appearance of a lump on the gum, filled with pus and periodically breaking out through the fistulous tract. Also, some people, just after they have been blown by a strong wind or in a draft, discover that they have flux and all the accompanying symptoms: their cheek and face swell, their body temperature rises, and, naturally, their teeth hurt badly.
“In our office the air conditioner is always on, which once gave me a very serious blow. Against this background, my jaw began to ache. Later I noticed that the teeth under the fillings also hurt. When I recovered, it still continued to hurt under one filling. I had to go to the dentist... At the appointment they said that there was periodontitis, which developed due to poor-quality treatment of caries and incomplete filling of the canals. This was an unpleasant surprise! As the doctor said, under the influence of a cold, the sore, which had not manifested itself in any way before, became aggravated and worsened..."
Tanika, review from the dental portal gidpozubam.ru
2. Features of the treatment of viral and infectious diseases
Both in case of normal hypothermia, and ARVI, influenza, sore throat, herpes virus and other pathologies of a similar nature, the patient is prescribed to drink plenty of fluids in order to quickly remove toxins from the body, support the immune system and avoid dehydration. The following drinks are often consumed for this purpose: rosehip decoction, tea with lemon, fruit drinks and compotes with berries - they all contain large amounts of vitamin C, which has a destructive and irritating effect on the enamel.
Consequence: the enamel becomes hypersensitive, reacts to the temperature of food and any mechanical stress. Due to the abuse of such drinks, erosions appear on hard tissues, and their resistance to cariogenic bacteria drops sharply.
To avoid this problem, doctors advise thoroughly rinsing your mouth with plain water after drinking acidic drinks.
Poor oral hygiene
After hypothermia and infectious viral diseases, many feel severe weakness and malaise, and therefore stop performing thorough daily oral hygiene. Some people completely forget about the brush and toothpaste, which is why plaque quickly accumulates in the mouth, which is the best breeding ground for bacteria that cause caries and other dental diseases.
On a note! After you have recovered, it would be a good idea to purchase a new brush, since the old one may retain pathogenic bacteria that can provoke an inflammatory process in the oral cavity.
ENT diseases
With otitis media, tonsillitis, sinusitis and sinusitis, strange symptoms sometimes occur, for example, the ear and teeth may hurt at the same time. This is again due to the fact that in a sick person, not only the organs where the pathology occurs swell and become inflamed, but also all adjacent areas. In this case, the pain often does not have a clear localization, radiating to the head, jaw, and eyes.
When ENT diseases are neglected or treatment tactics are incorrect, bacteria spread from the affected tissues to healthy ones, penetrate with blood and lymph into the oral cavity, provoke the development of the same caries, inflame the nerve of the tooth (pulpitis occurs) and periodontal tissue.
On a note! The opposite situation also happens: diseased teeth contribute to the development of ENT pathologies. For example, units of the upper jaw affected by deep caries, pulpitis, periodontitis and cysts can lead to the development of odontogenic sinusitis.
Inflammation of the facial nerve
This nerve has branches that cover all areas of the face. Therefore, when it becomes inflamed, the jaw and teeth may become sore. Often the pain has no clear localization. Pathology, again, can occur against the background of hypothermia, impaired blood circulation in the tissues, as well as various dental and non-dental diseases.
Signs of nerve inflammation
As mentioned above, often the phrase “the tooth (nerve) caught a cold” is associated precisely with the exacerbation of the inflammatory process in the pulp, which made itself felt after hypothermia of the body and a sharp decrease in immunity against the background of various diseases. In this case, the following symptoms will indicate that the teeth have blown out:
- severe pain that intensifies and does not go away for a long time after eating hot and cold food, being in the cold, at night. Pain sensations spread throughout the jaw and are not always relieved with tablets from a home medicine cabinet,
- hyperemia (swelling and redness) of the gums in the area of the affected unit,
- there may be chips, deep carious cavities and cracks on the diseased element,
- The more advanced the process, the higher the likelihood of an increase in body temperature and the appearance of general malaise.
“The other day I blew out the nerve of a tooth. The pain was unbearable, the pills didn’t help, so I simply couldn’t stand it for more than two days. I went to the doctor. I don’t remember how some people manage to walk with pulpitis for several months and even years. This is just torture! Modern treatment methods make it possible to cure everything in no time, rather than endure this nightmare!”
Stanislav, review from 32top.ru
conclusions
It is quite possible to cure a toothache caused by a cold, but to select the right treatment you need to find out the cause of the disease. So, this condition may be associated with nerve inflammation, exacerbation of periodontitis, sinusitis and other reasons. All these diseases require completely different approaches to treatment. Thus, to find out the true cause of toothache and keep your teeth healthy, consult a dentist.
Do not overuse painkillers and do not delay going to the doctor, because many dental diseases (for example, periodontitis) can become chronic and will remind you of themselves after every cold.
If the third molar hurts
Very often, after a wind blows, or after hypothermia, a wisdom tooth begins to ache. This may be due to all of the reasons listed earlier. But sometimes this signals an exacerbation of pathologies that are characteristic directly of the third molar:
- eruption is too long, complex and not always correct: “eights” pass through the bone and touch the nerve endings, sometimes they rest against neighboring elements of the row, put pressure on them and destroy them, provoking vague pain sensations,
- pericoronitis: acute and often purulent inflammation of the gingival hood hanging over the “sage”, under which food debris and bacteria become clogged.
What you can and cannot do at home
If you think that your tooth has blown out, and even more so, you have discovered the symptoms described earlier, then you need to consult a doctor who will determine the true cause of the problem and provide treatment appropriate to the situation. But not everyone is in a hurry to see a dentist. Some people prefer to wait until their signs of hypothermia and various non-dental diseases have passed. What is appropriate and what absolutely cannot be done during this period? The answer is in the table below.
| Can | It is forbidden |
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If you have a cold or a toothache, what should you do at home? You can only fight symptomatic manifestations (pain, fever), strengthen the immune system in every possible way, and also treat the underlying disease that caused the unpleasant symptom. But if the causes of the pathology are dental problems, and this is precisely the case in most cases, then stopping the symptoms will not help to correct the situation for a long time. In this case, the only right decision is a visit to the dentist.
Manifestation of symptoms
If one of the dental nerves gets cold, the symptoms manifest themselves as follows:
- hypersensitive eyes, eyelids, forehead;
- aching pain in the jaw area;
- shooting type pain is present;
- cold food that comes into contact with the teeth tends to aggravate the already unbearable pain;
- smiling hurts.
The process of inflammation, localized in the dental nerve, occurs when pathogenic microorganisms penetrate the pulp area; it is a source of pulsating and shooting painful sensations when there is a sharp change in temperature and with little physical pressure. If the inflammatory process spreads beyond the boundaries of the tooth root, then there will be a complication in the form of periostitis (otherwise known as gumboil), or periodontal inflammation. Also, unlike periodontitis, with pulpitis there is no swelling and purulent contents.
What treatment options can your dentist offer?
Let's consider what the doctor will do if it turns out that hypothermia, viral and infectious diseases have become catalysts for dental problems.
For caries, pulpitis, periodontitis
As a rule, in this case, the patient requires a competent endodontist dentist who will qualitatively clean, treat and seal the root canals of the diseased unit. If necessary, the specialist will also remove the pulp.
Depending on the severity of the pathology, treatment may require 1-3 or more visits to the clinic. So, during the conservative treatment of pulpitis (preserving the pulp) and periodontitis, the doctor will put medications and antibiotics into the canals, cover them with a temporary filling, and repeatedly take x-rays. Only after the source of infection has been completely eliminated will you be given a permanent filling. If a row element has been severely undermined by disease and destroyed, it may need to be strengthened with a pin and inlay, as well as an artificial crown.
Important! Today, better treatment of pulpitis, periodontitis, as well as cysts and other formations is facilitated by the use of modern optical technology, for example, a microscope. Using this device, the specialist sees all the branches of the root canals, completely removes the infection, hermetically seals and carries out highly aesthetic restorations.
For purulent formations
If it turns out that the pain is caused by flux, fistula, cyst, granuloma and abscess, then doctors will dissect the tissue and ensure the outflow of purulent contents using drainage, then apply sutures. During the rehabilitation period, the patient will be prescribed antibiotics, rinses, symptomatic treatment (painkillers, anti-inflammatory, wound healing), and physiotherapy.
For increased sensitivity
Strengthening procedures - remineralization and fluoridation - will help get rid of the consequences of consuming acidic drinks during the treatment of various diseases and eliminate the sensitivity of hard tissues. At home, it is recommended to consume more products with calcium, as well as purchase remineralizing pastes with fluoride, calcium hydroxyapatite, and beneficial natural ingredients (chamomile, propolis).
On a note! If there is increased sensitivity on units with crowns and fillings, then it is important to check the quality of adherence of the structures to the hard tissues and walls of the tooth. It is necessary to make sure that there are no cracks or chips, that the seal is not broken, and that the service life of artificial restorations has not come to an end, otherwise they must be replaced with new ones. It is also important to understand whether an inflammatory process has developed under the filling and crown, because then the product will have to be removed and the root canals treated using endodontics.
Giving help
Like any pathological process occurring in the body, a cold nerve is best treated by a specialist.
If, during self-diagnosis, a person makes the wrong conclusions and carries out independent incorrect treatment, the disease, the symptoms of which are similar to those of a cold nerve, will only progress.
It is impossible to cure a serious illness with ordinary ones or endure it thanks to. In addition, you should remember that heating pads and dental drops cannot always help. In some cases, these remedies can only cause harm.
Folk remedies, which are so beloved by many, can only be used after consultation with a specialist. Only a doctor can correctly assess the situation and choose the right direction in treatment.
