Fix Tooth Pain and Toothache
Tooth pain and toothaches are important warning signs; often, they point to an underlying issue with one or more of your teeth. To avoid letting a simple problem turn into a larger setback, it is important to have your teeth evaluated by your dentist to pinpoint the source of the problem and find a solution before it leads to further oral issues.
Some of the leading causes of tooth pain and toothache are the following:
Decay
While tooth pain is not always present with cavities, tooth pain or toothaches can indeed be a sign of tooth decay. These spots can become painful when plaque and tartar eat away at the enamel of one’s teeth, allowing air and bacteria to make contact with the more tender inner parts of the tooth. A cavity that is painful will likely require a filling, but if a cavity is caught soon enough, it can be reversed by taking steps to remineralize the teeth. All the more reason to have your teeth examined right away!
Tooth Infections
Another leading source of tooth pain and toothaches is infection. This can take the form of an abscess, which is a small pocket of infection that can take hold inside of the teeth. An abscess is a serious medical condition that requires immediate attention and treatment. Generally, antibiotics are the first line of defense, but more advanced infections may require more invasive measures to root out the infection, including root canals, gum treatments, and even the removal replacement of the tooth.
Gum Disease
Gum disease can also create associated pain that feels much like a toothache. Gum disease usually sets in when proper oral hygiene is not being maintained. This allows tartar and plaque to build up on the teeth around the gumline, which in turn transfers the bacteria present in this calculus to infect the gums. In the early stages of gum disease, a through dental cleaning is often enough to reverse the progression of disease. In later stages, however, more invasive measures must be taken, so if you think you may be suffering from gum disease, the sooner you can get in to see your dentist, the better!
Fractures and loose fillings or crowns
Finally, chips or breaks in one’s teeth and even a loose or damaged filling or crown can cause a nasty toothache. These breaks and problems can arise biting into something especially hard, a traumatic injury to the face, or clenching or grinding one’s teeth! Luckily, tooth pain can alert someone who has fractured their tooth or cracked a filling to the problem at hand. In both of these cases, your dentist can repair the fracture, replace the filling, or cover the tooth with a crown to avoid further problems.
Regardless of what kind of problem tooth pain may be telling you about right now, the bottom line is that it is important to listen to your body and get the help you need now. Very rarely do the interventions required to address these kinds of issues get easier as more time passes; more commonly, they become more involved. So next time you experience tooth pain or toothache, be proactive and get an appointment booked with your dentist as soon as you can.