Warning- Do Not Ignore Dental Pain
Dentists constantly urge their patients, family and friends not to brush off a tooth ache. Along with agonizing pain, it can cause great disruption to your day and night and be the symptom or start of a greater issue.
In most cases a tooth ache is the result of a cavity, but other issues include:
- An abscessed tooth
- A chipped or broken tooth
- A damaged filling
- Grinding or aggressive chewing
- Early stages of gum disease
- Wisdom teeth, especially if they become impacted
These are all treatable issues and can be nipped quickly if you schedule in to see a dentist promptly. And because some toothaches signify more serious health issues, you should not ignore them. For instance, studies have demonstrated that heart attacks may be signaled by the sensation of pain on the left side of the jaw. Soreness in the jaw and cheekbones or difficulty in chewing may also be the first sign of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), a serious maxillofacial condition. In addition, sinus infections may produce pain in the upper molar teeth, wrongly leading you to believe that your pain is the result of a dental problem. It is for these reasons that you should consult your dentist if you have a chronic or extremely painful toothache.
Our team at Chinook Mall Family Dental Clinic has identified 3 types of toothache pain and what they mean
Sharp Pain That Passes Immediately
If the form of pain which you feel is one which you feel out of the blue and is a piercing kind of pain, which goes away as soon as it comes, then you just might have tooth sensitivity. Confirm this diagnosis when you notice the pain erupting only when you eat or drink anything too hot, too cold or too hard. Treatment for teeth sensitivity start with specially formulated toothpastes that can numb the tooth to dental filling, and more aggressive treatments like crowns and veneers.
Pain That Continues to Linger
If the pain you feel continues and does not seem to falter, then you might have chronic toothache. This form of pain is indicative of nerve damage, suggesting that the tooth has become worn out enough for substances to penetrate the tooth and the nerves to become damaged. Teeth grinding, cavities and dental trauma are just some of the related diseases that list chronic pain a symptom. When there is irreversible nerve damage, the only recourse might be to completely “kill” the nerves in order to get rid of what receives simulations and processes them as pain. This done through root canal treatment. While soft tissues might be removed, the tooth is still preserved.
Severe Pain
If the pain you feel is classified as intense or throbbing, then it might be an abscessed tooth which is the culprit. This can be confirmed when you have a swelling in the part of your face which the pain radiates from. In this case, you would have to take a prescription of antibiotics together with the over-the-counter analgesic in order to manage the pain and the swelling. Once the swelling has subsided, it might be possible for the tooth to be extracted or for you to go through root canal treatment without any fear of infection.
Toothaches may come and go, making you think that it’s not worth it to see your dentist, but that tooth is not going to get better on its own. The longer you wait to see a dentist, the worse the cavity or infection will become, possibly making the treatment more complex. Dr. Charchuk believes preventative care is the best care. It is vital to stay in touch with your dentist and follow all recommendations provided. If you do all of these things, your teeth should stay strong and healthy for a long time, if not for the duration of your life. And if you take care of your teeth, the rest of your body will follow suit.
