Do you sometimes wake up in the morning with a dull headache and tooth pain? If so, you may be suffering from a condition known as bruxism, where you involuntarily clench or grind your teeth at night. What is this, and is there anything you can do about it?
Jaw Clenching
Many people suffer from bruxism, but its cause is not always clear. For some reason, sufferers will clench their jaw at stages during their sleep cycle or may grind them back and forth vigorously.
Sometimes a tooth has an infection or damage so severe that keeping it in your mouth would be a problem. Tooth extraction is not an easy process, even if your tooth is already loose. However, many people go through the process with minimal discomfort and complications. Keep reading to learn more about the extraction procedure.
Why would a dentist need to extract a tooth?
Your dentist may perform an extraction for several reasons.
Root canal treatment becomes essential when the pulp inside a tooth (which is the tooth's primary nerve) experiences infection and inflammation. This inflammation can be so extensive that the pulp expands and presses against the wall of the pulp chamber, which is extremely unpleasant for the patient. The pulp's chance of recovery (the condition is called irreversible pulpitis) is so low that it must be removed, after which its chamber is irrigated and filled in.
Although losing one or more teeth can be a devastating experience, it is worth noting that you are not obligated to stay toothless. Instead, modern dentistry offers an array of tooth replacement options ranging from dentures to dental bridges. In recent times, though, there has been an increasing demand for dental implants. These artificial teeth are made up of a prosthetic tooth and a metal screw that functions as the root.
An impacted tooth is a relatively common dental problem in young children and is essentially a tooth that hasn't emerged properly from the gum. Kids tend to experience an impacted tooth when a baby tooth falls out and the adult tooth is unable to emerge through the gum due to the position of the surrounding teeth, which can block the adult tooth. As the adult tooth tries to push its way through your child's gum, it may cause the surrounding teeth to move and become overcrowded or twisted, or it may start to protrude higher up in the gum, which can be painful.
