I am a dentist and one part of my job is trying to help people get the treatment they need when they have toothache. 

I hope you have never had toothache, but if you have, you’ll know it can be miserable. It can make it difficult to eat, to sleep and to concentrate at school. Even though teeth can be tiny they can cause a lot of problems if they’re not looked after! 

One of the most important things we can do to prevent toothache is to brush our teeth twice a day with a toothpaste which has a special ingredient in it called fluoride. Hopefully you already brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once just before bed. But unfortunately, there are lots of people, both adults and kids, who don’t brush their teeth at all. That’s where I come in. I try and help people understand why it’s important to brush their teeth. Sometimes I can give them toothbrushes and toothpaste to make this easier for them. 

Another thing I do is try to understand what medicines work best when people have toothache. When people have toothache, they sometimes think that they need medicines called antibiotics to help them feel better. However, our research has shown that antibiotics may not be the best treatment for toothache. Quite often a dentist will be able to recommend something else that will help the pain go away faster. We need to spread the word about this because we shouldn’t take antibiotics when we don’t need to. It’s better to save them for when we really need them. 

I really enjoy my job. Even though teeth are only a small part of us, keeping them healthy is important. Did you know that research has shown that keeping your teeth and mouth healthy can also help diseases such as heart disease and arthritis? That’s pretty exciting for us as dentists. So, next time you brush your teeth, just think – this is helping to keep your mouth AND your whole body healthy!

You can find out more about my research at the link below.

Professional profile at Cardiff University: Anwen Cope