Toothache relieved by cold water

When the weather is hot, we all like to eat cold food, and iced watermelon and iced drinks are our favorites in summer. There is a strange thing: patients who suffer from long-term toothache will find that if they put ice cubes in their mouths, their toothache will be relieved a lot, that is, holding ice cubes has the effect of relieving pain. Why does holding ice cubes effectively relieve toothache?

We often see people holding cold water in their mouth to relieve pain. This is because in the late stage of acute pulpitis, blood vessels are congested and dilated, the pressure is very high, and thermal stimulation accelerates blood flow and pressure, aggravating the pain. When the dental pulp becomes purulent or partially necrotic, the pain receptors in the pulp are no longer alive. Cold stimulation not only no longer causes pain, but also causes the pulp blood vessels to contract and the pressure in the pulp cavity to decrease, thus alleviating the pain.

Normal teeth can withstand temperature changes such as cold and heat, and the pulp functions normally. When the pulp is damaged or inflamed, it becomes sensitive to temperature stimuli.

In the early stage of pulpitis, toothache is aggravated by cold or hot stimulation, especially cold stimulation.

In the late stage of suppurative pulpitis, the patient is extremely sensitive to thermal stimulation, and the pain is aggravated by hot water or hot food; cold stimulation can relieve the pain.

Pulpitis refers to an inflammatory lesion occurring in the dental pulp tissue. The dental pulp is a loose connective tissue that mainly contains nerves and blood vessels and is located in the pulp cavity inside the tooth. If deep caries, wedge-shaped defects and other dental hard tissue diseases are not controlled and treated promptly and effectively, they may cause pulpitis, which becomes one of the most frequent and common diseases in the oral cavity.

1. Acute pulpitis

Acute pulpitis can develop from pulp congestion or from an acute attack of chronic pulpitis. According to the development process of inflammation, acute pulpitis can be divided into serous stage and suppurative stage.

(1) The lesion range of acute serous pulpitis is limited to the coronal pulp, which is localized serous pulpitis. When the lesion spreads to the root pulp, it is total serous pulpitis.

(2) Acute suppurative pulpitis During the short serous phase of pulpitis, the exudated white blood cells continue to necrotize and liquefy, forming an abscess, which is acute suppurative pulpitis.

2. Chronic pulpitis

Chronic pulpitis is the most common clinical condition with atypical symptoms, and some cases may not have spontaneous pain. If the exudate of acute inflammation is drained but the inflammation is not completely eliminated, it may turn into chronic inflammation. On the contrary, if the body's resistance is reduced or local drainage is not smooth, chronic pulpitis will turn into acute pulpitis, which is an acute attack of chronic pulpitis.

(1) In chronic closed pulpitis, the pulp has not yet been exposed, but deep caries, crown fillings or other hard tissue diseases near the pulp can often be found. After the decayed and necrotic substances are removed, there is no exposed pulp hole visible to the naked eye. Chronic inflammation can persist for a long time.

(2) In chronic ulcerative pulpitis, the pulp tissue is exposed and ulcers form on the surface. Patients fail to use the affected teeth for a long time due to fear of pain, resulting in the accumulation of a large amount of plaque and tartar.

(3) Chronic hyperplastic pulpitis mostly occurs in young people. The dental pulp is exposed and causes a hyperplastic reaction due to mild but persistent stimulation. The red "mushroom" shaped granulation tissue in the large and deep caries cavities of the affected teeth is called dental pulp polyps. It is painless when explored but bleeds very easily. Generally there is no spontaneous pain. Sometimes the affected tooth feels painful or there is bleeding when eating. Tartar accumulation can often be seen on the affected tooth and its adjacent teeth.