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What are the possible causes of your tooth pain?
No matter the severity of your tooth pain you should seek professional dental care as soon as possible. A great way to help prevent toothaches from occurring is with a rigorous oral hygiene routine. However, many potential factors can cause tooth or gum pain, including the following
Dental Decay
While your tooth pain may be new, the cavity that is causing it might not be. You should visit the dentist as soon as possible to have it treated.
Trauma to Your Tooth
Whether you grind your teeth in your sleep and gradually wear them down, or you sustain an injury in some more immediate way, for instance, while playing sports, a fractured or damaged tooth can be very painful – don’t ignore it. Your dentist may recommend treating it with a filling, crown or bonding.
If you are prone to teeth grinding then you should ask your dentist about any potential prevention options.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain in the teeth beside them due to the pressure they create. Impacted wisdom teeth can also lead to secondary issues including tooth damage and crowding if there isn’t enough space for them to erupt properly.
Abscessed Tooth or Dental/Oral Infections
Bacterial infections may lead to pockets filled with pus. This not only creates painful sensitivity, but can also develop into a more serious, or even life-threatening, condition.
Gum Disease (Periodontal Disease)
There are varying stages of gum disease and while some may not be as severe they all require immediate dental care. In the early stages, your dentist may treat your gingivitis with a procedure called scaling and root planing – the process of removing plaque buildup from the gum line.
For a more urgent case that’s progressed to severe gum disease, you may need a root canal, antibiotics, and/or surgery.
Other Common Causes of Tooth Pain
There are some patients that experience occasional mild sensitivity, most commonly when eating or drinking hot or cold food or drinks.
Using toothpaste made for sensitive teeth may help. You should also attempt to avoid eating extremely hot or cold food and drinks until the sensitivity goes away.
If you notice ongoing sensitivity (for more than a couple of days), this may be cause for more serious concern, such as gum recession, and you should see your dentist.
There are also times the issue that’s causing your tooth pain may lie outside your mouth. Viral or sinus infections, vitamin deficiencies, headaches or colds may cause symptoms similar to what you might feel with a toothache.
However, it’s still worth it to schedule an appointment with your dentist as ignoring or misdiagnosing the pain yourself could lead to serious issues. Most dental pain won’t stop on its own and should be assessed by your dentist.
What can you do to relieve tooth pain?
If you are suffering the symptoms of dental pain, regardless of the reason, you should contact your dentist for an examination, diagnosis and treatment plan.
In the meantime, there are a few home remedies for tooth pain you can try. Apply an ice pack or take an over-the-counter pain medication to reduce pain and inflammation. In some cases, a saltwater rinse can also help soothe and relieve tooth pain.