Pain stemming from your tooth can feel debilitating enough to disrupt your daily life. Even if you think you can tolerate oral discomfort, you should not ignore tooth pain. It often develops as a symptom of a larger and more severe dental problem that will require treatment from your dentist.
Do not delay calling your dentist about a toothache. But you might also notice that tooth pain can develop in differing levels of discomfort. They can indicate different concerns that may form in your smile. Read on to learn about three types of tooth pain and what they could mean for your dental health.
Tooth Sensitivity
Have you ever bitten into a food item and felt a sharp, jolting pain? This type of oral pain is known as tooth sensitivity. The uncomfortable sensation usually stops after you remove the stimulus from the tooth, but even intermittent tooth pain can feel excruciating.
Tooth sensitivity happens when the enamel, the hard outer layer of your tooth, thins or weakens, exposing the nerves in the tooth’s interior. When food or another stimulus touches these nerves, they transmit pain signals to the brain that end when the stimulus leaves the tooth.
Erosion, wear and tear, and other damage to the enamel can occur for many reasons, including poor oral habits and underlying dental concerns. Enamel does not regrow, so you will need help from your dentist to resolve tooth sensitivity pain.
Treatment for tooth sensitivity will depend on the root cause of the issue. For instance, they can treat a cavity. Or they can replace weak enamel with a dental crown that covers and shields the tooth from stimuli that can cause pain.
Dull Toothache
A dull, constant ache in your tooth will feel uncomfortable. But because it often does not feel extreme, many patients might feel tempted to disregard this symptom. Tooth pain of any kind could signify a major oral health problem and should not be ignored.
These low-level toothaches can happen for several reasons. Acute factors, such as something stuck between your teeth, may generate this tooth pain. Chronic behaviors like bruxism during sleep could make you wake up with a toothache like this too. Talk to your dentist to pinpoint the cause of the pain and receive treatment accordingly.
Throbbing Tooth Pain
Severe, throbbing oral pain could make it hard to complete your usual daily activities. A deep and pulsing pain in a tooth will usually require urgent intervention from your dentist. So call your dentist right away.
Intense tooth pain can occur due to an infection in the tooth pulp. You will need root canal therapy to fix this problem in most cases. Without swift treatment, the infection will spread and cause severe health problems for your smile and the rest of your body.
This tooth pain might also happen if you fracture your tooth. Impact trauma or an ill-timed bite can cause this type of dental injury. Tooth breakage does not always present with a visible crack in the surface, so contact your dentist for an evaluation.