TOOTHACHE should be renamed Christmas disease. But that cannot be, simply because Christmas disease is a hereditary condition, whereby the victim lacks a factor in the blood which is responsible for the clotting process, resulting in Haemophilia B. Two colleague dentists disclosed that their first (and worst) toothache was experienced on Christmas Day. Many may be able to testify to similar experiences. But what is the point here? The point is that there is a distinct relationship between the ingestion of sweet and tooth decay.

During this festive season of Christmas, there will be at least a ten per cent increase in the incidence of dental caries among Guyanese. The simple reason is because of the higher sucrose (sugar) ingestion, combined with the transient neglect in maintaining oral hygiene concomitant with the disruption in routine personal activities.
Although sugar, by itself, cannot affect the teeth in any way, the bacteria of dental plaque ferments these substrates (sugars and starches) most readily to produce the acid that erodes the enamel, causing tooth decay.
It only takes bacteria a matter of seconds to convert sweet to acid, and it is that acid which results in the exposure on the tooth’s nerve. If you are unlucky to get a toothache during the Christmas holidays, when dental services become virtually unavailable, here are a few suggestions:
Salt, mixed with pepper, can be of great use when a tooth becomes extremely sensitive. Mix equal amounts of pepper and common salt, with a few drops of water, to form a paste. Apply the paste directly to the affected tooth, and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
Another home remedy is using garlic, which can also give tremendous relief from toothache. Garlic has antibiotic and other medicinal properties that can be very effective in slowing down bacterial activity.
Mix a crushed clove of garlic (or garlic powder) with some table salt and apply it directly to the affected tooth to alleviate the pain. If you want, you can chew the garlic.
Then there is clove, which is even better than the rest for toothaches. Cloves have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant and anaesthetic properties that help alleviate tooth pain and fight infection.
Grind two cloves and mix it in a little olive oil or any vegetable oil. Now apply this solution to the affected tooth. Also, you can mix a few drops of clove oil in a glass of water and rinse with it.
Many do not know that onion, too, can be used as a temporary remedy for toothache. Chew raw onion for a few minutes to relieve the pain, or place a piece of raw onion on the bad tooth or gum. One can also rinse with warm salt water to get some relief from a severe toothache.
Another proven home remedy for toothache is guava leaves. Chew one or two tender guava leaves until the juice starts working on the affected tooth. Another method is to put four or five guava leaves in water to boil. When it is cool, add a bit of salt and use the solution as a mouth wash.
The modern approach, which is designed to circumvent the deleterious potential of sugar on dental wellbeing, is to substitute the carbohydrate with artificial sweeteners. However, universal use of these would result in disarray for countries like Guyana, whose economies depend on sugarcane cultivation.
Presently, mainly diabetics use artificial sweeteners. It is academic to note that the scientific community is contemplating whether it is more prudent to develop a vaccine against the bacteria, Strep mutans, the chief culprit responsible for tooth decay.
Rumour in the dental community has it that a Frenchman actually succeeded in developing a vaccine against Strep mutans, but because of the immense implications of having billions of persons becoming immune to tooth decay, the FDI paid him to abandon the project.
So, caries do not result from a nutritional deficiency involving the formation of a dentition which is predisposed to decay. Rather, it is the net result of a variety of local influences in the environment of teeth involving the biochemical events in dental plaque, which follow the intake of each item on the diet.
The high sugar content, and sticky consistency are predominant factors for carcinogenicity. Tooth decay also depends on the amount and type of carbohydrate eaten; the food acidity; the length of time between intake and swallowing; enamel toughness from fluoride; and how freely the saliva flows.

Have A Happy, Toothache-Free Christmas!