Poor dental health can be detrimental to your overall health. All possible steps have to be taken to ensure due care for your teeth and oral health as a whole. This includes exploring the use of CBD for different uses in the care regimen.
But before we look into the types of cannabidiol products you can use to combat dental pain, let’s discuss the varying causes of dental pain.
Why Are You In Pain?
Toothaches are caused by a variety of reasons, but the chief among them is cavities. These are damaged areas on and in your teeth. Cavities start as small stains that can graduate into full blown holes.
Bacteria, excessive snacking, sugar, and bad brushing technique are the root cause for these. If left unattended, a cavity can grow deeper into your tooth thus causing toothache, infections and in some cases tooth loss.
If the situation is left even further, the puss that pools in the cavity could spread the infection throughout the rest of your body. Something I’m sure you certainly do not want to happen, as this will not only result in higher levels of pain and a costly bill.
Cavities
The process by which cavities develop starts very easily, with uncleaned starch and sugar. These form a clear sticky film on your teeth, and the bacteria in your mouth will feast on these residues and get bolder.
With time, it hardens into tartar which is extremely difficult to get rid of. The tartar will act as a shield for the bacteria allowing it to grow.
The second step involves aggressive attack on the outer enamel of your teeth. An acid is formed at this point to erode the minerals on the surface of your teeth, and soon eventually the hard inner part called dentin is reached.
At this point, you will experience sensitivity and once the hard inner part is all worn and weak, there are no more defenses for your teeth.
The third step is where the bacteria and acid reaches the pulp, which is the soft inner part of your tooth. Herein, blood vessels and nerves are contained.
From this point, infections can easily enter your blood stream and the blood vessels will swell and press on the nerves. The excruciating pain experienced at this point is not accurately describable.
Extensive Suffering
In addition to the pain, you will have trouble eating and performing regular daily activities. The pain also brings with it a fever, swelling, and headache.
Antibacterial treatment is prescribed for a cavity. Sometimes, in addition to getting rid of the tooth if the damage is extensive.
Dental Surgery
There are several reasons why you might require dental surgery. A wisdom teeth removal is simple and might not need a visit to the dentist but is extremely important. One might also need dental implants or a tooth extraction. The jaw might also require an operation if broken or even misaligned.
When the body goes through physical trauma, it is designed to make efforts towards relief. When the skin is breached, the body releases cytokines and fluid that work to ensure clotting.
The buildup is the reason why you will experience pain, but pain is really an attempt by your body to heal itself.
Post operation, pain is experienced by 10-50% of patients despite being on painkillers as shown by a study in 2010. It was found that CBD is instrumental in keeping post-op pain at bay.
You should always ensure to keep your teeth well brushed so that plaque does not form. It is prudent to use antiseptic mouthwash once or twice a day.
A visit to the dentist for professional cleaning every 6 months is highly advisable as this will allow you to stay abreast of your oral health.
Incorporating CBD into the oral health care regimen should be done only upon consultation with your dentist.
Benefits of CBD in Dentistry
Research into the uses of CBD in dentistry is pretty scanty but current results show tremendous promise. Cannabidiol is a known antibacterial as evident from studies.
It is potent against even some bacteria that have exhibited resistance to traditional antibiotics. CBD is also an antiseptic. This is a useful property, as it will keep harmful microorganisms from breeding in your mouth.
The pain that comes with a cavity is one of the worst in human history, as it will throb and cause all around devastation.
For this reason, you will require a powerful analgesic to kick away that pain and CBD is exactly that. Its reaction with the endocannabinoid receptors that help modulate pain makes it a powerful tool against pain of any kind.
Of course, there are other reasons for toothaches like periodontal disease, which affects your gum muscles and bone. Resulting in a hollow space being created in which an abscess forms, causing swelling.
CBD can be instrumental in bringing this down and blocking damage to the jaw. It has been proven as an effective course of periodontal therapy.
A visit to the dentist can be almost as painful as one from a cavity. You may suffer anxiety and even consider postponing, but CBD is extremely effective for managing these nerves.
If the fear of a trip to the dentist is crippling enough to hinder the work required, cannabidiol treatment should be considered.
The Most Effective CBD Products for Dental Pain
CBD Gum
The mouth has its own defense strategy against plaque. However, at times the problems prove too stubborn for the defense strategy. Saliva has bicarbonate, calcium, and phosphate, which are powerful weapons against plaque and consequently decay.
Chewing gum is great for ensuring your mouth produces more saliva. Research has shown that chewing gum increases production of saliva tenfold. The result is a 40% less chance of decay.
The results are better if it is CBD gum. The submandibular glands have endocannabinoid receptors, which activates the antibacterial, antiseptic, and analgesic properties of CBD.
About ten minutes of chewing gum after a meal can greatly improve oral health. It will also keep the jaw muscles properly exercise.
Toothpaste Infused with CBD
CBD infused toothpaste is excellent for combating bad breath and gum disease, since it combines all the qualities of good toothpaste plus the superpower of CBD.
One can easily make their own at home with a few readily available ingredients. Baking soda, peppermint oil, organic coconut oil and CBD oil. The coconut oil combines well with CBD to provide a natural tooth-whitening tool.
The toothpaste will re-mineralize your enamel thus reversing the effects of plaque acid. It will also relieve sensitivity and the coconut oil will heal your gums.
You should add a pinch of sweetener into the mixture so the taste is not too harsh, or you could use mint flavored CBD oil.
It’s important that you use a sealable container so the toothpaste stays fresh. It’s easy to find refillable toothpaste tubes online from Amazon.
CBD Hemp Oil Tincture
If you are not looking to home-make your own toothpaste, you can add a few drops of a CBD hemp oil tincture to your regular tooth-cleaning agent.
The benefits of using baking soda on the teeth are well known, so by adding a drop of CBD oil to this only works to make it more effective.
After a tooth extraction, you can dip a piece of cotton in CBD oil before biting onto it to help with clotting and keep the area free of bacteria.
It extremely easy to get infections from that fresh wound, so it’s best to ensure sepsis is kept at bay.
In the event of a toothache, you can apply a little cannabidiol oil on the affected area for quick relief. This will also help to bring down any possible swelling.
Sometimes, the toothache will bring a bad headache and fever. A drop under the tongue will quickly relieve that headache.
CBD Capsules
Using capsules is super easy, as the directions for use are right on the packaging. If you seek to adjust your dosage of CBD, capsules allow you to adjust the dosage by a specific amount without having to guess. You will know the exact capacity.
CBD capsules are exceptional for use as analgesics after surgery or to fight normal toothache. These are not as fast acting as other forms of consumption but they work nonetheless.
You can choose to empty the contents of the capsule or crush the pill and apply the powder on the affected area.
If you have been prescribed painkillers by your dentist, you should consult with them before adding CBD pills to the combination. Painkillers are quite potent on their own, there is no telling the effects of combining with other analgesics.
CBD Oral Spray
CBD oral spray is a fast and effective way to deliver CBD as desired. This is best if you cannot tolerate pills or the sublingually delivered CBD oil. Most sprays are made from pure CBD and will therefore act quickly.
Cannabidiol oral sprays come in different flavors making them tolerable and enjoyable to consume, plus the spray is perfect for addressing swelling. The bottles are small and therefore portable and convenient so you can enjoy relief from mouth pain the moment it strikes.
Tea Infused with Cannabidiol
A teabag from CBD infused tea would be great after an extraction. The tannic acid from tea will restrict blood flow therefore enabling clotting and CBD will provide well-needed relief from the soreness.
The teabag can wedged into the empty space and left there for a while to allow the CBD to be directly absorbed into your bloodstream. You can also drink the tea after for a good night sleep.
Advancements of CBD in Dentistry
There is research being conducted that is looking into the possibility of having CBD infused dental filings, which could help reduce the amount of pain and soreness after a filling. As well as also significantly reducing the recovery time.
More studies are also being conducted on the benefits of CBD toothpaste over regular toothpaste. Results so far are favorable with more and more evidence surfacing on the potency of CBD for dental pain and use in oral hygiene.
