When people experience a sharp pain in their tooth, they’re quick to assume that it’s due to cavities. The truth is there could be other possible reasons behind that toothache. That’s why dentists often advise patients to take note of their pain symptoms, how long they last, how intense they are, and when they feel it, as those could give clues to what’s truly wrong about their teeth.
If you’re suffering from tooth pain yourself, here are the likely culprits behind that problem:
You got sensitive teeth.
If the pain shoots up when you eat or drink something hot or cold, you’ve most likely developed sensitive teeth. What caused this? Well, there could be a lot of contributing factors. For one, it could be due to overbrushing. When you aggressively clean your pearly whites, there’s a tendency for the enamel, the protective layer of the tooth, to wear away. Over time, that would expose the dentin, the structure that surrounds the nerves and the pulp.
Imagine getting your super cold ice cream come in close contact with your nerves. Painful, for sure. Sensitive teeth may also be due to grinding teeth when asleep and consuming too much food with high acidic content. Quit on these habits and use over-the-counter treatments to relieve pain symptoms. Note that dental procedures like root planning and crown placement can also trigger tooth sensitivity. Your dentist should advise you of care routines to reduce pain.
You experienced tooth trauma.
You probably think that if this were the case, you would know immediately. The truth is many people who run into accidents pay little attention to their teeth unless they’ve completely knocked out some. Your injuries might just be tiny chips and cracks that you’re not aware of and you haven’t gotten checked out. If the damage is deep, this can allow bacteria to get into the inner structures of the tooth, infecting the pulp. Over time, this could lead to a build-up of pus, and might affect the tissue and the bone. To treat this, your dentist might suggest a root canal, a dental procedure that gets rid of the infected pulp. Treatment usually lasts for over an hour. If you’re worried that you might not get through that duration in the dentist’s chair, consult a sedation dentist. Highlands Ranch, CO-based practitioners use a certain type of sedation, depending on the patient’s health to help them relax during the procedure.
You have an impacted wisdom tooth.
Growing teeth are always painful (just look at the teething struggles of babies). In the case of wisdom tooth, they often develop impacted, meaning they grew out abnormally.
Sometimes, they don’t have enough space to emerge. Other times, they come out sideways or towards a wrong angle. This makes them harder to clean, which then could cause tooth decays and gum infections, the likely reason for your toothache. At the same time, they could damage other neighboring teeth, making them prone to infections. The best course of action here is to have your wisdom teeth removed. Consult an endodontist about the procedure.
Toothaches may seem like a simple problem of cavities, but in truth, there could be other possible reasons behind it. To know what exactly the cause of your pain is, visit your dentist.