1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Bolga bam here. Once among the 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: world's most vexing health problems, a toothache hardly even bears 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: mentioning these days, but that wasn't always the case. In 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: the early six hundreds, teeth were often cited as a 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: leading cause of death. Catholic toothache sufferers prayed to Saint Apollonia, 7 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,639 Speaker 1: the patron saint of dentists, for intercession on behalf of 8 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 1: their aching mouths, and in Scottish poet Robert Burns immortalized 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 1: the condition in his Address to the Toothache, in which 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: he slightly exaggerates what air that place be. Priests call Hell, 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: where all the tones of misery yell, and ranked plagues 12 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: their numbers tell in dreadful row, Thou toothache surely bear 13 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: the bell among them all. Thanks to policies like widespread 14 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: water fluoridation in the United States, plus educational cartoons like 15 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four Is the Toothbrush, family and oral hygiene 16 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 1: programs in public schools, and easy access to dental products, overall, 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: dental health in the United States has vastly improved. Nevertheless, 18 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: tooth decay is still cited as the most common childhood disease. 19 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: Fifty percent of children ages twelve to fifteen are affected 20 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: by cavities. The problem is often worse among lower income families, 21 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: who are less likely to have affordable access to dental care. 22 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: People today tend to be cavalier about tooth decay, dismissing 23 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:37,199 Speaker 1: cavities and minor toothaches as insignificant. However, even with modern 24 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: improvements in dentistry, cavities can still lead to oral infections 25 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: and more serious complications, including death. In nineteen seventy nine, 26 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: John Glassock, bassist for the rock band Jeff bro Tull, 27 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,559 Speaker 1: died of endocarditis, a heart infection. His doctor's belief originated 28 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: from an abcessed to tooth. And if you watched the 29 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: TV show Angel, actor Andy Hallett, who portrayed the caryo 30 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: key demon Lorn, died in two thousand nine after a 31 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: case of cardiomyopathy resulting from a dental infection. Recent studies 32 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: have also linked oral infections to other serious medical conditions 33 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. So what exactly is 34 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: an abscessed tooth and how can you avoid getting one? 35 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: An abscess is a type of infection that's identifiable by 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: inflamed tissue surrounding a localized collection of yellowish white fluid 37 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: called pus, which is made up of white blood cells, tissue, 38 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: and microorganisms. A tooth abscess is most commonly caused by 39 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: severe tooth decay or cavities, other culprits, argent vitis, gum disease, 40 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: and damage to the teeth like breaks and chips. An 41 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: abscess starts when openings in the tooth enamel allow bacteria 42 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: to travel to and infect the pulpy center of the tooth. 43 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: In severe cases, the infection can affect the jawbone as 44 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: well as the soft tissue in the mouth the left bend. 45 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: Treated infection from an abcessed tooth can even spread to 46 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: other parts of the body and cause abscesses in the brain, heart, infections, pneumonia, 47 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: and other complications. The main hallmark of an abscessed tooth 48 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: is a painfully throbbing or stabbing toothache. It will sometimes 49 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: be accompanied by a bitter taste in the mouth, bad breath, 50 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: swollen glands, swelling in the mouth, and fever. Paradoxically, as 51 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: the infection spreads and worsens, it may kill the nerve 52 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: root of the tooth, and the toothache may go away 53 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: or subside. So if you have had a bad toothache, 54 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: even if it does subside, you should still see a dentist. 55 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: Treatment of abscessed teeth involves draining the infection. The dentists 56 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: usually also prescribe a course of antibiotics to fight any 57 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: lingering infection. To reduce the risk of developing abscessed teeth, 58 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: follow the advice of good old flash fluoride and the 59 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: rest of the toothbrush family gang, or you know your 60 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: local dental hygienist and brush carefully after eating, use floss, 61 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: use mouthwash if recommended, and definitely consult a dentist right 62 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: away if you find yourself with a toothache. But today's 63 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: episode is based on the article what is an abcessed 64 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: too on how stuffworks dot com written by Gerlinda Grimes. 65 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership 66 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: with how stuffworks dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Cline. 67 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: Or more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 68 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 69 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.