Toothaches can make life miserable. It needs immediate attention and cure. But what could have caused it?
Treating a toothache involves an accurate diagnosis. As there can be multiple causes behind a toothache, so could be the variants of treatment based on the cause alone. When asked about the reasons causing severe toothache, experienced dentists from a Mt Gravatt Dental practice came up with the following ones:
- Tooth Decay
Among all, the most common reason found responsible for a painful toothache, is dental abscess that can lead to sever plain.
The decay of the affected tooth hurts the worst and so does its surrounding area, as the decay makes a route to reach the innermost layer of the tooth, called the Dentin. Once this dentin gets damaged, the concerned tooth becomes too sensitive as the cavity makes it even more vulnerable to external touches. If you are suffering from a tooth decay, it may be visible with a black or brown coloration. Sometimes the cavity is in between the teeth or under a filling and may not be visible. Your dentist will take an x-ray and the cavity will be evident on the xray.
- Misaligned or Impacted Wisdom Tooth
If wisdom teeth are partially erupted and there is no room for them to grow fully in the mouth they can cause pain due to infection and pressure, they can also cause tooth decay in the adjacent tooth and that can also cause pain
If these wisdom teeth have no room to grow and they are causing infection and damage to the adjacent teeth it is best for them to be remove before causing major issues to other teeth
Sometimes a wisdom tooth has fully grown in the mouth but because it is hard to reach, cleaning of the tooth is compromised and that can lead to tooth decay and pain as well.
It is important to have regular check ups with your dentist and they can assess the status of your wisdom teeth and let you know if any treatment is required before any harm is caused.
- Improper Flossing or Brushing
It is again a very common phenomenon that people often do not know or care about the pressure they are creating on their teeth when they brush or floss them. As a result, they end up pressing too hard causing irritation, inflammation, or bleeding gums. If this continues, it can recede the gums making the teeth unstable and become oversensitive or painful.
- Tooth Sensitivity
If toothache starts often after eating or drinking something cold or hot and lasts a few seconds is typically known as tooth sensitivity. This is a condition where the tooth enamel has been affected and the tooth’s dentin is now exposed to external touches. To protect the dental nerves and save them from extreme temperatures, it is recommendable to use a toothpaste specifically made for sensitive teeth. Visiting a dentist would be wiser for receiving immediate treatment for the pain.
- Gum Disease
Gum disease is yet another reason that could be the cause of dull pain in the mouth. Sometimes red, bleeding gums, can cause tooth pain as well. It happens due to the infected oral bones and gums. If left without treatment, these could get damaged or even lost. Finally, surgery could be left as the only measure to be taken to get rid of this oral infection.
- Cracked Tooth Syndrome
A cracked tooth can also become quite painful. Some cracks are visible and easy to find by your dentist or even yourself but sometimes identifying fine cracks in the tooth becomes very challenging even for dental specialists because a fine cracked tooth may not be detectable using x-ray imaging. Some dentists have various techniques or tools for identifying cracked teeth including a simple crack finder device, microscope, using light against the back of the teeth, etc.
- Dry Sockets
Dry socket pain refers to a painful complication after tooth extraction. Extraction is a traumatic procedure and pain after extraction of a tooth may or may not be normal. Dry socket pain can range from a slight pain through to agonizing pain. Dry socket after extraction can happen due to various reasons and you should make an emergency appointment with your dentist for follow up treatments.
Concluding Thoughts
Apart from the above said reasons, there could be other reasons too, behind an unbearable toothache. To get relief from such situations, getting regular dental check ups done would minimize the risks to your precious teeth.