It’s easy to forget about little body aches and pains. But when you think of toothache – It’s Scary!!
Imagine!! Waking up, preparing a hot cup of coffee, and munching on your favorite breakfast.. and OW!
A sudden throbbing ache in your teeth leaves your eyes watering and your gums hurting. How is it possible?
Well, causes of toothache are many, from typical sensitivity and cavities to more serious issues such as an accident or a growing abscess. The first step in diagnosis, treatment, and future prevention is to understand why your tooth hurts.
Want to know what is that factor behind your toothache? Find out in this post.
Keep reading!
Table of Contents
What Do Toothaches Feel Like?
Before diving into what causes tooth pain, let’s have a quick overview of what toothaches feel like…
The discomfort from a toothache can be minimal to severe, and it might be continuous or intermittent. You may feel:
- A throbbing pain
- Swelling in/or around your tooth or gum
- Tenderness in/or around your tooth or gum
- Acute pain when you touch or bite your tooth
- Uncomfortable sensitivity in your teeth in response to hot or cold foods Shock-lik pain – usually uncommon
- Fever is also a sign of toothache
Learn about some home remedies for toothache relief.
What Causes Tooth Pain?
Here are the most prevalent causes of toothaches.
1- Cavities and Tooth Decay
A dental cavity is the most prevalent toothache cause.
According to the top reviewed dentist in Islamabad, Dr. Tashfeen khattak “Poor dental hygiene is the main reason behind cavities (failure to brush or floss regularly). They make a little hole in your tooth that might get bigger and bigger over time.”
In addition, cavities arise when your saliva comes into contact with sugary foods, which eat away at your tooth.
What begins as a cavity that damages the enamel of a tooth progresses to the dentine, producing pain and sensitivity. When tooth decay reaches the pulp, it generates a strong toothache that necessitates immediate dental attention.
2- Poor Brushing and Flossing Techniques
Moving next to what causes tooth pain is bad brushing and flossing techniques. More forceful activity won’t guarantee a thorough clean!! But it will certainly produce gum bleeding. Excessive pressure might cause the gums to shrink and harm the teeth over time causing toot pain.
By the way which method do you use to brush your teeth? FYI to remove food particles and plaque build-up, dentists generally recommend gently circular strokes. If you don’t know about right brushing techniques, you can still learn or relearn them.
3- Injury or Trauma
A dental accident that results in a shattered or knocked out tooth is one of the more evident causes of toothaches. If this happens to you, schedule an appointment with your dentist right once to get the tooth fixed. You can make your appointment with the best dentists in town via Healthwire.pk.
4- Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding can lead to toothaches as well as pain in the jaw, neck, and other muscles. People who grind their teeth, however, are generally unaware of it because it occurs while they sleep.
If you’ve recently been told that you grind your teeth at night, talk to your dentist about getting a tailored mouth guard to avoid grinding, toothaches, and possible tooth damage. Many people with braces grind their teeth to release their pain but this is not a helpful way to get braces pain relief.
5- Damaged Dental Fillings
Dental filling are the restorative treatments designed to protect sensitive parts of your teeth. When they are damaged, you risk exposure to food particles, pressure and bacteria.
Tell your dentist if you have dental fillings and experience pain and sensitivity while chewing as these are common signs of damage that need to be treated right away.
6- Tooth Sensitivity
Do you get a severe pain in your teeth when you eat or drink something hot or cold? This suggests you have tooth sensitivity, especially when exposed to high temperatures.
If you ignore this condition and continue to consume excessively hot and cold foods in large quantities and too quickly, you risk damaging your teeth’s enamel and exposing the dentine. As a result, when your teeth come into contact with nearly anything, their nerve endings become even more sensitive which is painful.
7- Gum Disease
Gingivitis is the most prevalent form of gum disease, and 5 % to 15% of people develop periodontitis, a more serious form of gum disease.
Poor dental hygiene leads to plaque buildup, which causes gum disease. Your gums will get red, bleed, and swell with toothache as a result of the bacteria. While many people with gingivitis have no symptoms, the illness can lead to tooth loss if left untreated.
Schedule an appointment with your dentist right away if you suspect you have gingivitis or periodontitis, and take additional care of your teeth to avoid these disorders.
8- Inflamed Sinuses
It’s fascinating to discover how closely the many sections of the body are linked. Did you know that a toothache can be caused by sinus inflammation caused by a cold or flu?
YES! Common cold or flu can cause symptoms to include sensitivity, pressure and pain in the upper teeth. The good news is – these tend to subside along with your cold or flu.
9- Eruption of Wisdom Teeth
The eruption of wisdom teeth is the most concerning dental issue for adults and also a factor that falls under the answer of what cause tooth pain.
While some people experience no pain and are unaware that their wisdom teeth are growing in, others are not so fortunate. This is owing to the fact that the positioning of wisdom teeth differs from person to person.
Wisdom teeth that don’t have enough room to emerge through the gum line. As a result, it pushes against existing permanent teeth, producing significant pain and inflammation below the gum line.
If discomfort becomes serious, see an emergency dentist right away so they may extract misplaced wisdom teeth and prevent overcrowding and shifting of your permanent teeth.
You can also learn about immediate wisdom tooth pain relief home remedies.
10- Dental Abscess
Among the causes of toothache is dental abscess. This is what occurs when simple dental issues are ignored. A dental abscess can develop as a result of severe cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease.
It is a collection of pus within a broken tooth or along the gum line. It begins with an untreated bacterial infection in the tooth’s soft pulp, necessitating a root canal treatment or, in the worst-case scenario, a tooth extraction to treat and avoid harm to neighbouring teeth.
Takeaway Note!
After overviewing all the causes of toothache, simplest tip is to take prevention measures.
Just brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day to help prevent toothaches. Receive dental examinations and cleanings twice a year, or as frequently as your dentist recommends.
