What’s causing my toothache?

5 common reasons why you may have a painful tooth

Even in this age of advanced dentistry, with all our understanding of dental hygiene and good oral health practices, the humble toothache is still a common dental problem.

There are many ways a toothache can make itself known. Your symptoms may include:

• Throbbing, sharp, or constant tooth pain
• Pain when you apply pressure to a tooth
• Swollen gums around the problem tooth
• Headache or a fever
• A constant bad taste in your mouth

In this story we’ll take a look at some of the common causes of toothache – and show you what you can do to prevent toothaches occurring in the first place.

The good news is that, whatever we find to be the reason for your toothache, Wickham Terrace Dental can treat it using modern dentistry techniques to relieve your pain.

The potential reasons for your painful tooth

Gum disease

Usually revealed by sore, red gums that bleed when you brush, gum disease can also sometimes cause pain around your teeth. This can be a sign of serious issues with your jaw bone or gums. Talk to us for gum disease treatment to address your problem.

Sensitivity to hot or cold

If you have sharp tooth pain after eating or drinking hot or cold food and drink, you could be suffering from tooth sensitivity.

Pain caused by cold is a sign that your teeth’s dentine is exposed, perhaps because of tooth decay or due to exposed gum. If heat is the culprit, you could have nerve inflammation or trauma around the affected area. 

Teeth grinding or bruxism

If you clench your jaw and grind your teeth while you sleep, the immense stress through your jaw muscles can easily cause tooth pain, a sore jaw, and even cracked or chipped teeth.

If we find your toothache is caused by bruxism, we may recommend you wear a dental splint or custom mouthguard while you sleep, to relieve the stress on your teeth and jaw and alleviate your toothache. 

A damaged tooth

Whether you’ve had a sporting injury, a fall, or you’ve bitten down on something you shouldn’t have, the resulting cracked or chipped tooth can easily cause you pain. And if the fracture reaches into the middle of your tooth (where the sensitive nerve endings are) it can cause you severe pain.

For this reason, if you ever do notice you have a chipped or cracked tooth, it’s a great idea to see Wickham Terrace Dental as soon as you can for treatment.  A damaged tooth won’t ever fix itself... and can easily become worse.

Tooth decay and cavities

By far the most common reason for a painful toothache is good old-fashioned tooth decay. If you have a cavity that reaches into the softer inner part of a tooth, you can experience a very painful toothache that needs immediate attention.

If you experience a sharp, intense pain in your tooth – don’t delay. Contact Wickham Terrace Dental as soon as you can to arrange an examination.

How we treat your toothache in the Brisbane CBD

The Wickham Terrace Dental team may treat your toothache in a few different ways, depending on its cause.

If tooth decay or dental cavities are the cause of your toothache, our team will clean and fill the affected area, or possibly extract the tooth if it’s severely damaged.

If we find that your toothache is caused by an infected nerve, Root Canal Therapy may be the best way to relieve your pain and help you keep your natural tooth. 

If you have a fever or swelling around your jaw (sure signs of bacterial infection of your teeth), we may prescribe you antibiotics.

Your sensitive teeth could be a sign that you brush too hard, too frequently, or with too much toothpaste. These habits will eventually wear down your tooth enamel, causing your teeth to be more sensitive. A few pointers from our friendly team can help correct your brushing technique. 

How you can prevent toothaches from occurring

To ensure good oral hygiene and reduce your chance of toothache, make sure you:

• Brush carefully twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste
• Floss your teeth once a day
• Rinse your mouth once or twice a day with an alcohol-free mouthwash, and
• Visit Wickham Terrace Dental every six months for a professional cleaning.

It can also be a good idea to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, and consume it less regularly. You may also benefit from treatments such as fissure sealants or fluoride applications that may help remineralise your teeth enamel after tooth decay – ask us at your next visit.

Get help for your painful toothache

Even if you’re not sure of the exact cause of your toothache, there are some occasions when it’s best that you see a dentist immediately for treatment of your toothache.

We recommend contacting Wickham Terrace Dental as soon as possible if your toothache:

• Lasts longer than 1 or 2 days
• Causes you severe pain
• Results in a fever or earache
• Causes pain when you open your mouth wide

All of these are signs that you need professional advice and treatment to relieve the pain of your toothache.

Don’t suffer through a toothache longer than you have to. To find out how we can help relieve your toothache, use the contact form to the right or call us on 3831 3031 today.