Editing Toothache (section)

{{short description|Medical condition of the teeth}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
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{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name            = Toothache
| image           = File:Address to the toothache.jpg
| caption         = ''"Thou hell o' a' diseases"'' – [[William Hole (artist)|William Hole]]'s illustration for [[Robert Burns]]' poem "Address to the Toothache" (1897, poem c. 1786).
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| synonyms       =  Odontalgia,<ref name=Mosby2008>{{cite book |title=Mosby's dental dictionary |year=2008 |publisher=Mosby |location=St. Louis, Mo.|isbn=978-0-323-04963-4 |edition=2nd |vauthors=Duncan L, Sprehe C }}</ref> dentalgia,<ref name=Mosby2008 /> odontodynia,<ref name=Mosby2008 /> odontogenic pain<ref name=Tollison2001>{{cite book |vauthors=Tollison CD, Satterthwaite JR, Tollison JW |title=Practical pain management |year=2001|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-0-7817-3160-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbmI8FCssdEC&q=toothache+(odontogenic+pain)&pg=PA369 |edition=3rd}}</ref>{{rp|396}}|  field           = [[Dentistry]] 
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<!-- Definition and symptoms -->
'''Toothaches''', also known as '''dental pain''' or '''tooth pain''',<ref name=McGraw-Hill2002>Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''.  The McGraw-Hill Companies.</ref> is [[pain]] in the [[teeth]] or their supporting structures, caused by [[dental disease]]s or [[referred pain|pain referred]] to the teeth by non-dental diseases. When severe it may impact sleep, eating, and other daily activities.

<!-- Causes and diagnosis -->
Common causes include [[pulpitis|inflammation of the pulp]], (usually in response to [[dental caries|tooth decay]], [[dental trauma]], or other factors), [[dentin hypersensitivity]], [[apical periodontitis]] (inflammation of the [[periodontal ligament]] and [[alveolar bone]] around the [[Root apex (dental)|root apex]]), [[dental abscess]]es (localized collections of [[pus]]), [[alveolar osteitis]] ("dry socket", a possible complication of [[dental extraction|tooth extraction]]), [[acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis]] (a gum infection), and [[temporomandibular disorder]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Allison|first1=J. R.|last2=Stone|first2=S. J.|last3=Pigg|first3=M.|date=November 2020|title=The painful tooth: mechanisms, presentation and differential diagnosis of odontogenic pain|journal=Oral Surgery|language=en|volume=13|issue=4|pages=309–320|doi=10.1111/ors.12481|issn=1752-2471|doi-access=free}}</ref>
 
<!-- Diagnosis -->
Pulpitis is reversible when the pain is mild to moderate and lasts for a short time after a stimulus (for instance cold); or irreversible when the pain is severe, spontaneous, and lasts a long time after a stimulus. Left untreated, pulpitis may become irreversible, then progress to [[pulp necrosis]] (death of the pulp) and apical periodontitis. Abscesses usually cause throbbing pain. The apical abscess usually occurs after pulp necrosis, the pericoronal abscess is usually associated with acute [[pericoronitis]] of a lower [[wisdom tooth]], and periodontal abscesses usually represent a complication of [[chronic periodontitis]] (gum disease). Less commonly, non-dental conditions can cause toothache, such as [[sinusitis|maxillary sinusitis]], which can cause pain in the upper back teeth, or [[angina pectoris]], which can cause pain in the lower teeth. Correct diagnosis can sometimes be challenging.

<!-- Treatment, epidemiology, and history -->
Proper [[oral hygiene]] helps to prevent toothache by preventing dental disease. The treatment of a toothache depends upon the exact cause, and may involve a [[dental restoration|filling]], [[root canal treatment]], [[tooth extraction|extraction]], drainage of pus, or other remedial action. The relief of toothache is considered one of the main responsibilities of dentists.<ref name="Wolf2012" /> Toothache is the most common type of [[orofacial pain|pain in the mouth or face]].<ref name=Scully2013>{{cite book|author=Scully C|title=Oral and maxillofacial medicine : the basis of diagnosis and treatment|year=2013|publisher=Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier|location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-0-7020-4948-4|edition=3rd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3WyAFrXVfIC&q=oral+and+maxillofacial+medicine}}</ref>{{rp|125–135}} It is one of the most common reasons for emergency dental appointments.<ref name=Fedorowicz2016>{{Cite journal|last1=Agnihotry|first1=Anirudha|last2=Fedorowicz|first2=Zbys|last3=van Zuuren|first3=Esther J.|last4=Farman|first4=Allan G.|last5=Al-Langawi|first5=Jassim Hasan|date=2016-02-17|title=Antibiotic use for irreversible pulpitis|journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews|volume=2|pages=CD004969|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004969.pub4|issn=1469-493X|pmid=26886473}}</ref> In 2013, 223 million cases of toothache occurred as a result of dental caries in permanent teeth and 53&nbsp;million cases occurred in baby teeth.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.|journal=Lancet|date=August 22, 2015|volume=386|issue=9995|pages=743–800|pmid=26063472|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4|pmc=4561509 |last1=Vos |first1=Theo |last2=Barber |first2=Ryan M. |last3=Bell |first3=Brad |last4=Bertozzi-Villa |first4=Amelia |last5=Biryukov |first5=Stan |last6=Bolliger |first6=Ian |last7=Charlson |first7=Fiona |last8=Davis |first8=Adrian |last9=Degenhardt |first9=Louisa |last10=Dicker |first10=Daniel |last11=Duan |first11=Leilei |last12=Erskine |first12=Holly |last13=Feigin |first13=Valery L. |last14=Ferrari |first14=Alize J. |last15=Fitzmaurice |first15=Christina |last16=Fleming |first16=Thomas |last17=Graetz |first17=Nicholas |last18=Guinovart |first18=Caterina |last19=Haagsma |first19=Juanita |last20=Hansen |first20=Gillian M. |last21=Hanson |first21=Sarah Wulf |last22=Heuton |first22=Kyle R. |last23=Higashi |first23=Hideki |last24=Kassebaum |first24=Nicholas |last25=Kyu |first25=Hmwe |last26=Laurie |first26=Evan |last27=Liang |first27=Xiofeng |last28=Lofgren |first28=Katherine |last29=Lozano |first29=Rafael |last30=MacIntyre |first30=Michael F. |display-authors=1 }}</ref> Historically, the demand for treatment of toothache is thought to have led to the emergence of [[dentistry|dental surgery]] as the first specialty of medicine.<ref name=Suddick1990 /> 
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