Tooth Pain Guide
Guide to Tooth Pain
Please select from the list below the title that best reflects your pain.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
If the discomfort lasts only moments, sensitivity to hot and cold foods generally does not signal a problem. The sensitivity may be caused by a loose filling or by minimal gum recession which exposes small areas of the root surface.
WHAT TO DO
Try using toothpastes made for sensitive teeth. Brush up and down with a soft brush; brushing sideways wears away exposed root surfaces. If this is unsuccessful, see your dentist.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
Dental work may inflame the pulp, inside the tooth, causing temporary sensitivity.
WHAT TO DO
Wait four to six weeks. If the pain persists or worsens, see your dentist.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
There are several possible causes of this type of pain: decay, a loose filling, or a crack in the tooth. There may be damage to the pulp tissue inside the tooth.
WHAT TO DO
See a dentist for evaluation. If the problem is a cracked tooth, your dentist may send you to an endodontist. Cracked tooth pain comes from damage to the inner soft tissue of the tooth, the pulp. Endodontists are dentists who specialize in pulp-related procedures. Endodontic treatment, also known as root canal treatment, can relieve that pain.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
This probably means the pulp of a tooth has been damaged by deep decay or physical trauma.
WHAT TO DO
Contact our office to discuss saving the tooth with root canal therapy.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
A tooth may have become abscessed, causing the surrounding bone to become infected.
WHAT TO DO
Contact our office for evaluation and treatment to relieve the pain and save the tooth. Take over-the-counter analgesics until you see the endodontist.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
Often time as a nerve inside of a tooth begins to die, it can begin to create inflammation within the cortical bone of the jaw and this can create a "pressure" sense of pain which can be resolved with root canal therapy. The pain of a sinus headache is often felt in the face and teeth and can mimic this pain. Another possible source is grinding of the teeth.
WHAT TO DO
First step is always consultation with an endodontist, to avoid a problem that will progress without endodontic therapy. Should the teeth not need root canal therapy, treat for sinusitis or bruxism. For sinus headache, try over-the-counter analgesics or sinus medicine. For bruxism, consult your dentist. If pain is severe and chronic, see your physician or endodontist for evaluation.
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
Sometimes pulp-damaged teeth cause pain in other parts of the head and neck, but other dental or medical problems may be responsible. Mandibular (lower jaw) teeth when severely infected radiate pain to the periauricular (around the ear) areas.
WHAT TO DO
Contact us for evaluation. If the problem is not related to the tooth, your endodontist will refer you to an appropriate dental specialist or a physician.