Dental Pain

Have you ever ignored the pain in your teeth believing that it would go away eventually? Or ever panicked at the slightest toothache? It’s important to know what kind of pain requires careful medical attention and when it’s okay to treat it at home. But before treatment, you must know what causes your teeth to ache and the symptoms of it. A tooth hurts when the nerve in the root of a tooth or surrounding a tooth is irritated. This could be because of infection, inflammation, decay, injury, tooth loss or tooth extraction, or trauma.

Crack or Cavity

When your teeth get damaged either by an injury or because of cavities, the pulp within the center of the tooth gets exposed, and any outside contact with your nerve endings can cause pain. The crack or cavity also exposes the pulp to the bad bacteria in the mouth. This results in infection which can spread to your tissue or bone. Teeth grinding is also a serious cause of cracks in the teeth. 

Teeth Sensitivity

Enamel, the hard outer covering, protects the nerves inside our teeth. When this outer covering wears off and the nerves inside become exposed, there is sensitivity. This often causes discomfort while eating or drinking hot or cold food and beverages. Teeth sensitivity can also be caused by gum recession, teeth cleaning, whitening treatments, new filling, or a loose or damaged old filling. 

Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth usually emerge sometime between the ages of 17 and 25. And as teeth have to push through gums to come out, it isn’t the smoothest process. Therefore, teething causes pain, whether for kids or adults.

Other Problems:

Toothache might not necessarily originate from a problem within the mouth. Headaches, pain in the jaw joint, ear pain, clogged sinuses, and heart problems can travel to the mouth through nerves and seem like a toothache. 

‍When To Make A Dentist Appointment?

• Toothache is accompanied by swelling of the face or gums, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and facial rash.
• Crack in a tooth because of injury.
• Medicines don’t work in relieving pain.
• Severe pain after tooth extraction.
• You are unable to open your mouth wide because of toothache.
• Toothache makes it difficult for you to swallow food.
• If you have a history of heart disease or chest pain, or if you have diabetes, visit a dentist as soon as your tooth hurts. 

Remember: If your tooth hurts along with sweating, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath, then that could be a sign of a heart attack.

Home Treatment To Relieve Toothache

• Take over-the-counter painkillers.
• Apply clove oil on the affected area.
• Dip a piece of alum in water for 5 to 10 secs. Take it out and gargle with that water.
• Stay away from hot, cold, sweet, and sour food.

A toothache should not be taken lightly. While there might not be anything major to worry about, it is always best to be safe than sorry and therefore never ignore them.