Diving and Dental Health — Pressure-Related Toothache
A subject divers and instructors should know about, but which rarely comes up.
How barodontalgia occurs
Ambient pressure rises with depth and falls on ascent, and gas-filled spaces in the body adjust — hence equalising the ears and sinuses. A tooth is normally sealed, but a small volume of air can remain beneath a leaking filling, inside a poorly cemented crown or in a deep cavity. That volume compresses or expands with pressure and presses on surrounding tissue, producing sudden severe pain.
Why this is a safety issue
Severe toothache on land is unpleasant; underwater it is different. Sudden pain can cause panic, loss of the regulator or an uncontrolled ascent. A pre-dive check is therefore part of dive safety, not a cosmetic suggestion.
What a pre-dive check covers
- Leaking, marginal or fractured fillings
- Loose crowns or those with a void beneath
- Untreated decay and deep cavities
- Unfinished root canals or teeth with temporary fillings
- Signs of periapical inflammation, assessed radiographically
- Partly erupted wisdom teeth and surrounding inflammation
- Findings suggesting cracked tooth syndrome
For instructors and regular divers
If you dive regularly through the season, have the check before it starts. Waiting a while after a new restoration before diving is safer, and you should not dive with an unfinished root canal under a temporary filling.
Which Parts of Kas We See Patients From
The district combines a tourist coast with a high-altitude interior.
The coast and tourism settlements
Kas town, Kalkan and Patara are the tourism-oriented parts of the district, with a settled international population around Kalkan.
- Andifli, the town centre
- Kalkan
- Gelemis, Patara
- Cukurbag
- Islamlar
- Kinik
- Yesilkoy
- Sahil Barak
The high-altitude interior
Gombe, Bezirgan, Sutlegen and their surroundings form the mountainous part of the district, where altitude is high and winter access can change.
- Gombe
- Bezirgan
- Sutlegen
- Kasaba
- Cavdir
- Gokceoren
- Saribelen
- Ortabag
- Palamut
Repeated neighbourhood names
Kas also has neighbourhoods called Beldibi and Yenikoy. Three districts in Antalya — Kemer, Alanya and Kas — contain a Beldibi, far apart from one another, so state the district when booking.
Coming to the Clinic from Kas
The journey to central Antalya is long, so planning and a prior call matter particularly.
Call first so we can plan your visit
Describe your situation before you set out; the scope and number of visits become clear and your appointment is arranged accordingly. For patients from Kas we allocate a long slot so examination, radiographs and treatment can happen the same day.
Concentrating appointments
Say where you are coming from and a longer slot can be allocated, combining procedures or booking household members consecutively.
Do not wait in an emergency
Facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, inability to open the mouth and fever are serious. For a knocked-out permanent tooth the first 30 minutes are critical — transport it in milk and call on the way.
Wisdom Teeth and Surgical Planning
When wisdom teeth cannot find enough room in the jaw they may remain impacted, press on the neighbouring tooth and cause recurrent gum inflammation.
When Do Wisdom Teeth Cause Problems?
These are the last teeth to erupt, and the space left for them in the dental arch is often limited. When they erupt partially, a space that cannot be cleaned forms between the tooth and the gum flap covering it; bacteria accumulating there can cause recurrent painful inflammation.
A wisdom tooth lying at an angle may press on the root or neck of the molar in front of it. Because this contact point cannot be reached with a brush, decay can develop in the apparently healthy neighbouring tooth as well. For this reason the position of these teeth is monitored radiographically even without complaints.
How Is the Decision to Extract Made?
Not every wisdom tooth is extracted. A tooth that has fully erupted, meets its opposing tooth in a proper bite and can be cleaned may remain in the mouth. The decision is made by evaluating the tooth's angle, root anatomy, effect on the neighbouring tooth, history of recurrent inflammation and, in the lower jaw, its proximity to the nerve canal.
For impacted teeth a panoramic radiograph is often sufficient; if the relationship between the root and the mandibular nerve canal is not clear, three-dimensional imaging may be requested. This assessment determines in advance how the procedure will be planned and what to expect during healing. For patients coming from Kaş, examination, imaging and, where appropriate, the procedure itself are planned to fall within the same visit.
What Makes Healing Easier After a Wisdom Tooth Extraction
- Applying cold to the cheek at intervals on the first day
- Keeping the head slightly elevated when lying down
- Avoiding rinsing and spitting for the first twenty-four hours
- Postponing hard, very hot and spicy foods for a few days
- Refraining from smoking throughout the healing period
- Using the recommended medication in the stated schedule
- Being aware that mouth opening may be temporarily restricted for a few days
Aesthetic Treatments for Front Teeth and How the Choice Is Made
Which method suits a problem in the front region depends on the source of the discolouration and on whether there is loss of tooth structure.
When Is Whitening Sufficient for Discolouration?
For external discolouration left on the enamel by tea, coffee and tobacco, the tooth surface is cleaned first. If the yellowish tone remaining after cleaning comes from the tooth's own structure, whitening is considered. Whitening is a chemical process that lightens colour molecules within enamel and dentine.
Whitening has its limits. Fillings, crowns and composite materials are not affected by the whitening gel, so if there are old restorations in the front region a colour mismatch may appear afterwards and they may need renewing. Where a single tooth has darkened after trauma, a different method applied from inside the tooth is evaluated.
The Difference Between Bonding, Veneers and Crowns
Bonding is the direct application of composite material onto the tooth. It can be done in a single session for small fractures, closing minor gaps and correcting shape; it requires very little or no removal of tooth structure. As it may pick up colour over time, it can require regular polishing.
A veneer is a thin porcelain layer bonded to the front surface of the tooth and made in a laboratory. Its colour is more stable but it requires a limited amount of enamel reduction. A crown covers the tooth entirely and is preferred for teeth with greater loss of structure, root-treated teeth or those at risk of fracture. The choice is made according to how much sound tissue remains and to the bite relationship.
Care After Aesthetic Treatment
- Avoiding the habit of cracking shells or biting thread with the front teeth
- Considering a night guard if there is a clenching habit
- Rinsing the mouth with water after staining drinks
- Not using abrasive whitening pastes continuously
- Cleaning restoration margins regularly with floss
- Checking margin adaptation and gum health at least once a year
- Seeking assessment early if a chip or rough margin is felt
For Those Searching for a Dental Polyclinic from Kas
Some patients from Kas search for a 'dental polyclinic' rather than a 'dental clinic'; the difference between the two is a licence class rather than a ranking of quality, and it determines what may be done.
What it means in practice for a patient from Kas
For a patient coming from Kas it means this: surgery, root canal treatment, prosthetics and orthodontics are all carried out at one address, so you do not go to three separate places. Given the distance of about 188 kilometres between Kas and the clinic, that difference directly reduces the number of journeys. The distinction between licence classes is set out in detail on our dental polyclinic page.
