Tooth pain, more commonly referred to as a toothache, is one of the most underrated and disruptive types of discomfort. While toothaches can vary in severity, they can make it difficult to eat, sleep or even concentrate until the pain goes away. Unfortunately, toothaches rarely go away on their own so you are only hurting yourself (and possibly your wallet) if you neglect or put off going to the dentist.
Regardless of your age or which tooth is affected, tooth pain treatment should be based on its cause. Proper dental x-rays and a trained dentist can accurately determine the reason for your toothache, but here are seven of the most common reasons that your smile may be crying out for help:
Gum Disease
The culprit of your dental pain may be underneath your smile or in the gum tissue. When gum disease goes untreated, it can cause the gums to detach from the roots of your teeth, exposing them to plaque, bacteria and painful sensitivity.
Abscessed Tooth
An infection in the tooth is known as an abscess. This involves bacteria in the inner pulp of your tooth where the nerves reside. Dental abscesses may also be associated with swelling around the site, and they demand prompt treatment!
Brushing or Flossing Too Hard
Removing food debris, bacteria and even plaque from your teeth and gums does not require hard pressure or scrubbing. Your tooth pain could be a result of your own dental hygiene habits, especially if you are consistently using too much force when you brush or floss. This can lead to irritated, swollen, receding and painful gums.
Wisdom Teeth Need Removal
If your pain is coming from your back teeth and you still have your wisdom teeth, there’s a fair chance your wisdom teeth are the culprit to your discomfort. This can also be your first warning sign that these third set of molars need to come out because they are impacted, erupting sideways or simply not behaving well in your mouth. Wisdom tooth removal is a very common procedure and one that is often performed between the ages of 17 and 25.
Teeth Grinding
While teeth grinding (or bruxism) often occurs during your nighttime sleep, this subconscious habit can wreak havoc on your teeth and jaw over time. Teeth grinding is associated with jaw pain, jaw stiffness, facial pain and tooth pain.
Tooth Decay
Last but not least, your toothache could be a result of festering decay. Cavities don’t typically produce symptoms early on, but if allowed to grow, the area of decay can reach the inner layers of your teeth and produce painful symptoms.
Get Toothache Treatment
Regardless of which type of toothache you are experiencing, you can generally expect it to get worse if you don’t take action with a dentist. Your toothache treatment may be as simple as changing your brushing habits or wearing a mouthguard at night. It may also involve specialized care such as root canal therapy, a dental filling or periodontal treatment. At Park South Dentistry, we want to bring you out of pain as quickly as possible while also restoring your smile to optimal health. If you have a toothache, we want to see you!
