No need to call in the FBI, or the bomb squad, but you will want to call your dentist if you experience a tooth explosion in Hamden.
You may never have heard of odontecrexis or barodontalgia, hopefully, because you have never had, nor heard of anyone having it occur. However, the reality is that your teeth can “explode” or break apart suddenly.
What is a Tooth Explosion in Hamden?
Odontecrexis isn’t common, but the reality shouldn’t be ignored. In particular, it is believed that a change in barometric pressure causes gasses in decaying teeth to build up. This build-up can cause an intense and quick fracture of teeth.
The condition itself is often hard to study, but from divers to airline passengers, pilots, and flight attendants, the incidents occur.
Barodontalgia is the pain that many people suffer when there are severe changes in pressure. The problem with lowering the pressure drastically or increasing it dramatically is that the gasses in the pulp and tooth canal can’t escape properly. It is not a condition as much as it is a symptom of pre-existing oral disease, tooth trauma, or even recent extractions.
Odontecrexis is caused when the trapped gas expands or contracts so rapidly that the tooth itself actually fractures.
Causes of Tooth Explosions
Up until the 1920s, tooth explosions were a more common occurrence. Poor diets that contained more sugar and more carbohydrates, lack of oral hygiene, and in some cases fillings that contained too much tin, silver, or lead, essentially could turn teeth into a battery in the mouth.
Hydrogen would build up under the tooth and the light of a pipe or a cigarette was the fuse it needed to ignite.
With the advent of better dentistry, better fillings, more consistency with a good dental plan, and better diets, now, the main cases of odontecrexis are seen with those intense changes in pressure.
Considerations for Prevention of Tooth Explosion
Before booking a flight, taking a flying lesson, or swimming with the sharks, it’s wise to check your mouth.
Make sure that you have no current dental issues. Cavities, gum disease, a recent extraction, all may end up causing intense pain as the plane reaches 35,000 feet or when you come up from the ocean floor with that beautiful shell.
Adhering to a good oral hygiene plan has so many benefits for your health. Remember that smoking can cause major damage to your teeth. Keep your scheduled dental appointments, and contact us here in Hamden whenever you have an issue.
Exploding teeth is probably not something you will ever have an issue with, especially if you remember to call us if you have any problems at (203) 248-0011. We’re better equipped for bombs in your mouth than the FBI.