Some Toothaches give headaches to dentists!

When Mr. M. Gobeil (fictitious name) decided to consult Professor Jean-Paul Goulet at the Faculty of Dentistry for a mysterious toothache that distressing past four years, his wife had a diagnosis already arrested " This is not a dentist you need, but a psychiatrist. " The verdict was based on Ms. specific character of Mr. malaise: they realized that the end of the week, while the couple spent time together!

Professor Goulet and his colleague Rénald Pérusse see every year nearly 500 patients who, like Mr. Gobeil, suffer from Toothaches enigmatic whose cause beyond the dentist contractor. "Between 3 and 5% of the population suffer one day these Toothaches causing headaches for dentists," says Jean-Paul Goulet, who shared his vast experience in the field with about 200 people who attended the February 4, at the 22nd Scientific Day of the Faculty of Dentistry.

"In addition to using the usual tools of investigation, we must speak the patient, stressed the speaker. He should be asked to specify where the pain comes, when it manifests itself, which accentuates , Which mitigates and what the relief. " In most cases, the replies the dentist on a good track. Thus Professor Goulet learned that Toothaches Mr. Gobeil occurred an hour or two after the end of the couple practiced together on weekends, namely hiking and skiing. "We were able to reproduce the pain clinic by asking the patient to rinse the mouth alternately with hot water and cold water. This is a case of thermal allodontie triggers delayed , "Said the specialist. Wearing a mouthguard during outdoor activities has put an end to the pains Mr. Gobeil, confirming the diagnosis.

Dents silent
Other pitfalls await dentists, warned the speaker. Thus, some teeth pain radiating to other parts of the head by borrowing common nerve trunks. As long as the patient can identify the epicenter of pain in a tooth, the dentist was the easy part. "This is not the case with teeth" silent ", teeth that are apparently healthy and asymptomatic, but can project the pain to the neck, ears or temples, sometimes causing headaches and pain head. "

In contrast, some Toothaches may come from muscle problems, articulation or nervous, even if patients are convinced to be able to identify precisely the teeth that make them suffer. The root canal or extract the tooth will no relief in such cases, in addition to causing unnecessary expense and frustration understandable in the patient. "Before poorly localized pain, we should not rule out the possibility of a local cause, warned Jean-Paul Goulet. And before a cause of localized, we should not rule out the possibility of a remote cause. In some cases It may even be heart problems or tumors. "