A bit of a weird one. Celebrated every year on the same date, but who on earth would want to celebrate a toothache, I hear you ask?!

9th February marks the annual National Toothache Day. This seems to be a strange day to have, as why would anyone want to celebrate a toothache? The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of dental issues and promote good oral health to avoid toothache.

There can be many different causes of toothache and for yourself it could be very difficult to be able to tell what has caused the issue.

Here are some of the more common causes:

Food stuck between the gums which can cause gum or tooth pain

Dental decay or a cavity

Tooth abscess or infection

Cracked tooth

Infected gums

Trauma – such as a knock to a tooth or an accident/fall

Other illness such as a cold which gives tooth like pain

Sinusitis

If you are experiencing gum pain, it is advised to throughly brush your teeth along with interdental cleaning with floss or an interdental brush to remove any food that may be stuck. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water can help ease the pain.

Sometimes painkillers will be needed to help reduce pain. In the event of toothache, it is advisable to seek advice from your dentist and more urgently if you are having severe pain that is constant and painkillers may not be controlling or if you notice a swelling of your face or the inside of your mouth that may be a sign of an infection.