What’s Causing Your Toothache?
What’s Causing Your Toothache?
Difficulty eating. A throbbing jaw. Temperature sensitivity. These are a few of the unpleasant symptoms that often accompany tooth pain.
Whether you’re dealing with an ongoing dull ache or a sudden sharp pain, chances are a visit to our practice is necessary. In fact, we recommend scheduling a visit with the dentist if you’ve had any sort of tooth or mouth pain for more than 24 hours.
When you visit us, we’ll dive into what’s causing your pain. Often times, it’s one of the following:
- Tooth decay. This is a leading cause of tooth pain. When your enamel wears thin, the teeth can become more sensitive to hot and cold temperatures, resulting in sudden pain. Tooth decay is also responsible for cavities.
- Infection. A tooth infection can happen when bacteria infects your tooth, often times due to a crack, chip or a cavity. If you don’t properly care for your teeth every day, you’re more likely to develop a tooth infection.
- Teeth grinding. Do you ever wake up with a headache or sore jaw? You might be grinding your teeth while you sleep. Clenching your jaw so tightly for hours on end during slumber can cause tooth pain. When you visit us, we’ll be able to tell whether or not there is evidence of teeth grinding by examining your teeth and bite.
- An abnormal bite. An uneven bite can place unnecessary strain on your jaw muscles, resulting in tooth and mouth pain. Sometimes, this can even lead to Temporomandibular joint disorder, also known as TMJ.
- Tooth eruption (in children). If you have infants or school-aged children, chances are you’re all too familiar with the pain that tooth eruption can bring. In infants, this usually occurs around six months in age. Older children will begin to lose their primary teeth around age six or seven.
If you’re dealing with tooth pain, give us a call to book an appointment. We’ll do our best to get you feeling better quickly.