“You’re fine. Your wisdom teeth are just coming out.” This is what countless dentists told me upon assessing my mouth pursuant to complaints of severe pain. “The dentist said it is your wisdom teeth, so just be patient,” my mother reiterated in Arabic. I knew, despite my young age and lack of experience, that the pain I felt could not be the natural result of sprouting wisdom teeth. My stiff jaw ached constantly—and when it locked, as it so frequently did, I remember going through a bout of trauma feeling as if it would never unlock. However, the agony I endured, and the true diagnosis of my pain is what set me on the path of pursuing a career as a dentist.
After several months of wearing a prescribed mouth guard to no avail, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I began researching all of the possibilities online, and after narrowing it down to two causes that were unrelated to wisdom teeth, I scheduled a check-up with my doctor. I sat with him in the lobby and discussed my research findings. I explained to him that I did not think the jaw pain was due to my wisdom teeth, and asked him to look into these. He was
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I went on to Wayne State University and majored in Biology, and proudly graduated with a 3.77 grade point average. The feeling of achievement on graduation day made the early mornings, long days, and sleepless study nights worth it. On graduation day, my family and I were ecstatic as a result of my academic achievements, but they all saw the hunger in my eye for more—much more. Since that point, I have taken the DAT and achieved a score of 21. Right now, I am happy to say that I am physically, mentally, and spiritually the healthiest I have ever been. As a result, I am prepared to not only succeed in dental school, but I am also prepared to set new precedents and develop the art of dentistry within the vast capacity I believe I
It was difficult to tell when the exciting trip to dentist became endless and tough. The routine was: leave school at 3:35 p.m., take the deserted bus, stay at the dentist for two hours, take the crowded metro back, meet my host family, arrive home at around 9pm, cook semi-liquid foods as dinner, swallow several pain pills, begin doing homework, finally get to bed at 2 or 3 a.m. , and get up 6 a.m.. Two or three days a week, my schedule would be like this. Even worse, the painful ache caused by the TMD ensured that I barely fell asleep.
When you experience dental related pain, it can be quite debilitating because it affects how you speak, drink, and eat. It’s unfortunately, but since there can be many reasons behind dental related pain, people that suffer from it may not really understand what is going on. TMJ is one of these issues that people suffer from, but don’t quite understand what is happening that is causing pain. This causes treatment to be delayed and for the condition to get worse. Here is the truth behind 2 TMJ myths you should be aware of.
If you have never spent a night awake or know someone who did, holding your jaw, hating every one and anyone around you, using ice packs to numb pain, wished the night would end so you can rush to the dentist or at least buy the strongest pain killer, felt pain that you never thought existed.........this is not your information. BUT if you have your solution is at hand.
My whole life, it has been apparent to those around me that I would be a dentist. I am highly inquisitive, passionate, compassionate, experienced, and I love teeth. I remember getting so excited to have my teeth cleaned as a child because my trips to the dentist were so much fun! At a young age, my mother instilled the importance of oral hygiene care. To this day, I wonder if it was the dentist, dental hygienist, or just the dental office ambiance that had me engaged as a young child. Almost immediately after graduating high school, I went to school to become a registered dental assistant and at that point, I figured out that I possess good manual dexterity, which is a fundamental skill to be efficient in the dental field. At the same time, I unlocked the key to my calling, passion. Six years later, I realized I had the potential to
The extraction of third molars, also referred to as wisdom teeth is one of the most debated topics among dental professionals and accounts for a large portion of dental revenue. Just about everyone develops third molars and if they erupt into the oral cavity, they function as the most distal grinding teeth in the oral cavity. However it is very common for these teeth to develop in an irregular pattern also referred to as impaction. If this happens it is highly recommended that the patient have them removed before they cause pain or damage to the surrounding teeth. Other common reasons for extraction include symptoms of pathological findings as well as prevention of future problems further down the road. Due to the fact that there are many different issues that could potentially develop due to third molars it is
I knew everyone worried about me. I also knew that the majority of dentists and doctors have not been educated about cavitations, integrated medicine or other alternative treatments. Most dentists and doctors do not understand the connection between the mouth and the body. These issues are met with much suspicion. “These types” of surgeries I underwent were not standard procedure recognized by dental institutions and dental
At about the age of 17, wisdom teeth begin to come in. Most often they don’t come in straight, and there usually isn’t enough room in your mouth for another molar. Wisdom teeth can cause discomfort and the need for you to visit your dentist.
It is difficult to ignore a painful tooth, and the most important thing is to identify the type of pain and what it causes, as this is the only way to get rid of it faster. Whether the pain is permanent or occurs when we hurt a tooth or area around your teeth, it's a signal that you need to quickly visit the dentist to identify the problem and determine the treatment until the problem worsens.
Six years ago, I’ve suffered from a wisdom teeth impacted, and was referred to an oral maxillofacial surgeon. Upon my consultation, the surgeon informed me that I was high risk of nerve damage since the roots of the teeth were very closely to the nerve. and I would need to have all three removed as this required general anesthesia and some stitches.
Persistent pain in the dento-alveolar region of unknown cause has been named in different ways in the scientific literature. It is still worth mentioning “phantom tooth pain”, a term coined by Marbach et al. that has been abandoned in the last 15 years. Marbach considered this painful condition merely as a deafferentation problem. His opinion was that whenever a tooth was denervated (not only extracted), the brain cortex would reorganize and occasionally a phantom sensation expressed as pain would remain (15). Defining PDAP merely as phantom pain comes from assumptions that are not based on studies with evidence higher than level 5.
The first day after the loss of your wisdom teeth, much like the first day after being dumped or breaking off a relationship, is marked with the feeling of complete numbness. No pain. No real emotions. Nothing. Your body is numb from the medication and also from producing its own defense against the pain it was feeling. The reality of what just happened hasn’t come crashing down yet; your feelings are eluding you. The first day is like a lucid dream, and you go about the day wondering if it really happened…if it was real…and if it would stay like this permanently. You go through the normal motions as if it was a regular day, but you find it difficult to do those motions without feeling empty, without feeling some sort of numbed pain and difficulty. There’s something
There are numerous conditions which could result in the pain experienced by a patient who reports a “toothache”. Many times, an odontogenic etiology—such as caries, cracked tooth, infection, or periodontal abscess—for the pain can be identified, treated, and resolved. However, in some cases, there is no odontogenic etiology for the pain, requiring a more complicated differential diagnosis. After eliminating the possibility of odontogenic conditions by examination, radiography, and pulp tests, several other conditions should be considered.
In other situations, TMJ is due to teeth grinding. This can be addressed by a using a mouth guard.
What makes a great dentist? It’s not just the marriage of science, technology and art, but also a love for people. It’s not just being a phenomenal technician, but the ability to foster trust and communica-tion with your patients as well as grow loyalty and passion from your team through leadership and dedica-tion. I believe that I possess many of the gifts it takes to become a trusted member of the medical com-munity and am eager to learn the skills that will allow me to serve my patients well.
Dental check-ups are very important and are needed to maintain good oral health. Visiting your dentist routinely and not missing any appointments is essential to identify problems early, when they are easy to treat or rather prevent them from occurring. According to NHS, 2015, “During a check-up, your teeth are examined by the dentist and you are asked about your general health and any problems with your teeth, mouth or gums since your last visit.” You are also “given advice on smoking, alcohol use, diet and teeth cleaning habits” The date of your next check-up is then set. This could range from 3 months to 2 years depending on the state of your teeth. The higher the risk of dental problems, the less time you can wait till