Experiencing Tooth Pain? Here Are Some Possible Causes

21 November 2016
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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Tooth pain is one of the underlying factors that make up a dental emergency. In most cases, tooth pain is caused by obvious accident-related emergencies such as broken teeth, knocked out teeth, tongue injury, etc. However, in other cases, the causes of the tooth pain can be less obvious. If you are suffering from tooth pain and have no idea what the cause is, it could be one of the following.

Tooth decay

Tooth decay starts out slowly and goes on unnoticed if you do not inspect your teeth or visit a dentist. Tooth decay is caused by poor oral hygiene leading to accumulation of bacteria that erodes the tooth's surface. Once the crown is fully eroded by the decay, the more sensitive inner parts of the tooth react to touch, heat, and cold via pain. A similar experience can be had if the crown has been eroded by abrasive brushing.

Root canal infection

The root canal is the most delicate part of the tooth and lies at the lowest level of the tooth structure. If the tooth's structure is compromised due to earlier damage or improperly fitted fillings, an infection can occur in the canal. This can later lead to a painful puss filled abscess. Root canal infection is often painful and requires immediate therapy treatment. Oral surgery will need to be carried out to clean out the canal and rehabilitate it.

Impacted teeth

Tooth impaction refers to the abnormal growth of a tooth (sprouting in the wrong direction). Impacted teeth in some cases can cause tooth pain and gum inflammation. Impacted wisdom teeth are especially common. The pain may start early even before the tooth breaks the gum surface so you may not even realise that impaction has occurred. Impacted teeth can be removed via oral surgery. Inflamed gum tissue, especially that around the wisdom teeth (operculum), can also be surgically removed to ease the pain.

Broken/lost crowns or fillings

Teeth pain can also be caused by damaged or missing crowns and fillings. Crowns can get damaged (cracked) over time due to structural stresses or because of consuming very cold or hot foods. Fillings can get damaged or lost as well due to improper installation. When any of this happens, the inner delicate parts of the tooth are exposed, just like in tooth decay, which causes pain to the surrounding areas. The remedy is to have a crown or filling fitted to prevent infection.

If you are suffering from tooth pain, contact or visit an emergency dentist immediately. As a first aid, you can take a painkiller and/or apply a cold ice pack to the affected area.