Dental Did You Know: There are Mutiple Pathways in the Brain when Experiencing Pain

I saw this quick summary about a pain study in the University of Colorado's (Boulder) website (I noted what I thought was very interesting):

A new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder finds that when we use our thoughts to dull or enhance our experience of pain, the physical pain signal in the brain—sent by nerves in the area of a wound, for example, and encoded in multiple regions in the cerebrum—does not actually change (my emphasis). Instead the act of using thoughts to modulate pain, a technique called “cognitive self-regulation” that is commonly used to manage chronic pain, works via a separate pathway in the brain.

The findings, published in the journal PLOS Biology this month, show that the processing of pain in our brains goes beyond the mere physical pain signal and underscore a growing understanding among neuroscientists that there is not a single pain system in the brain, as was once believed.

Source: http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2015/01/12/study-finds-experience-pain-relies-multiple-brain-pathways-not-just-one (Read on Jan 18/2015, Original web article produced Jan 12/2015)


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (905) 273-7100
Plattsville Dental
43 Albert St. West, Unit 8, Plattsville, ON, Canada (226) 656-1000

Dental Did You Know: Codeine for Pediatric Pain is now an Unsafe Practice

As of June 6th 2013, Health Canada released an update recommending that codeine not be used in children less than 12 years of age. It appears that the use of NSAIDs (Advil) and Acetaminophen (Tylenol) along with Morphine (in cases of severe pain) are the recommended routes to treat pain in pediatric cases.

Source: Wong M, Prescribing Codeine for Pediatric Pain: An Unsafe Practice, Oral Health, June 2014, Vol 104, No 6, pg 62-66.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada (905) 273-7100
Plattsville Dental
43 Albert St. West, Unit 8, Plattsville, ON, Canada (226) 656-1000

Dental Did You Know: Medication Protocol for Severe Dental Pain

For severe dental pain, one of the recommended protocols is Motrin (ibuprofen) 600mg every six hours, in combination with two tablets of Percocet Endo (5mg oxycodone and 325mg acetaminophen per tablet) every 6 hours. This multimodal approach affects a number of pain pathways and mediators. As always, close examination of the patient's individual medical history is needed and the use of percocet should be limited due to its street desirability and addictive properties. 

Source:  Frydman W, Effective Post-Surgical Pain Management, Oral Health, June 2010, Vol 100, No 6, pg 27-38.
 
Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Ibucodone

Ibucodone is a new class of narcotic pain killer that combines ibuprofen (200mg) with hydrocodone (7.5mg). Clinical trials have shown a synergistic effect that is greater than the individual components. It has its maximal effect when taken before a procedure.

Source: Kermalli J and Tenenbaum H, Prevention and Management of Acute Orofacial Pain; Treating the Whole Spectrum, Feb 2008, Vol 98, No 2, pg 29-37.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a good pain killer for dental pain, but has minimal to no anti-inflammatory effects. It also has anti-fever properties.

Source: Kermalli J and Tenenbaum H, Prevention and Management of Acute Orofacial Pain; Treating the Whole Spectrum, Feb 2008, Vol 98, No 2, pg 29-37.


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100