“Barodontalgia”,

The tooth squeeze is actually known in the scientific community as “Barodontalgia”,
a complicated word meaning “toothache that occurs in response to changes in environmental pressure”.
Although rare, this phenomenon can ...be quite incapacitating.

# WWII aircraft pilots were the first ones to report this type of toothache as they experienced dental pain during flight which is also known as aerodontalgia. Afterwards, the same
phenomenon was noted amongst SCUBA divers.
No one knows for sure how the “tooth squeeze” happens but certain explanations have been proposed .


Barodontalgia seems to be triggered by entrapped gas in closed spaces of the human body, like in the sinuses, under a broken filling or in a fractured tooth. As one descend deeper and deeper below the water surface, pressure increases and entrapped gas is compressed. As one ascend back to the surface of the water, the pressure decreases and the gas expands. Pain is experienced when those enclosed space cannot adapt to the pressure change.
Imagine an air bubble that somehow traveled inside a tooth through a fracture line while the diver was underwater. As the diver comes back to the surface, the tiny bubble would expand and take more space. Our body experiences this change through the stimulation of pain receptors. Since the tooth is really hard, it cannot change its shape to adapt to the stress caused by the growing bubble and can potentially explode!!! In those really rare cases, not only is pain noticed but dental trauma too. If the bubble was stuck under a broken filling instead, then the filling might separate from the tooth. If a person with a cold or any sort of sinus congestion dives deep into the water, compression of the gas in the sinuses may cause some bruising to the tissue lining of sinuses. Sometimes, those bruises in the sinuses may cause a sensation of pain in the upper teeth, a phenomenon we call
“referred pain”. It is interesting to know that dental pain experienced on a diver’s descent usually comes from the sinuses. Dental pain upon ascension may indicate a
broken tooth, a broken filling or even a defective crown.
Thus it is important to keep good oral health and visit the dentist regularly. Broken fillings and loose crowns should be replaced and fractured teeth should be treated.
People should also avoid diving when having a cold or sinus congestion.