Tooth nerve pain only happens when the nerve of the tooth gets exposed. The tooth pain often comes with sensitivity and discomfort.
It may come with a sudden dull ache and sharp pain that is very hard to disregard.
The major causes are tooth decay and gum disease. These dental conditions require you to see a dentist immediately, most likely for root canal treatment.
Nevertheless, when tooth nerve pain strikes, your oral hygiene is most likely in need of some changes.
How Tooth Nerve Pain Happens
Toothaches take away your joy of eating. Sometimes, teeth sensitivity is a significant indication of severe dental health problems.
Nerve pain in the tooth could happen due to cracked tooth, poor oral health, damaged tooth, and exposed nerve endings.
Tooth pain may also occur due to infection, inflammation, and tooth loss.
So how does it happen? To understand how things go down, let us first about our teeth, nerves, and everything surrounding our teeth
The tooth enamel is the outermost layer of the teeth above the gumline.
Cementum is what protects your teeth underneath; both protect the teeth.
Dentin is a mineral filled with tubules that connect to the pulp of the nerve. When your dentin is exposed, the nerves experience sensitivity, and nerve pain occurs.
The sensitivity is usually triggered by:
- cold and hot food and drinks
- sugary and acidic foods and beverages
Reasons for Tooth Pain
You may have sensitive teeth due to several reasons. The causes of tooth pain and sensitivity include:
- gum disease
- tooth decay (cavities)
- worn down enamel
- exposed tooth root
- grinding
- worn filling, crown, and other dental prosthesis
Let’s discuss all the possible reasons why you experience painful tooth discomfort.
Sensitive Teeth
The outer layer of the enamel protects healthy teeth. You can take care of the health of your teeth by practicing proper oral care and regular dental visits.
However, as we age, the enamel on our teeth gradually wears away.
Because of this, your tooth may get exposed to triggers that cause sensitivity.
You may also feel sensitivity when your gums start to move away from your teeth, and this causes the roots to get exposed. If this is the case, it would be wiser to seek immediate treatment as infection, and other dental problems might arise.
New filling may also cause tooth sensitivity. But it should go away on its own after a few weeks.
Damaged Tooth
Often, bacteria attack your teeth and gums each time you eat. They stay attached to different parts of your mouth until you brush them away. It produces acid, which is the top reason for a tooth cavity.
Moreover, tooth nerve pain occurs when your tooth is damaged. A simple crack can expose the nerves inside the tooth and cause discomfort.
What’s worse is when a crack and cavity are combined you could be under severe pain. If left neglected, the bacteria could penetrate the inner layers of the tooth, called the pulp.
When the pulp gets infected a toothache may occur followed by a dental abscess.
Bruxism
Bruxism or teeth grinding is usually due to stress, bite issues, and sleep disorders. People who grind their teeth during sleep may experience severe pain in the morning.
In some cases, cold and hot sensitivity also occurs. Signs and symptoms include headaches, facial pain, and jaw joint pain.
Wisdom Teeth
Toothache is one of the many symptoms of impacted wisdom teeth. Some people don’t have any problem when their wisdom tooth erupts, but others feel jaw pain during the process.
You may have your wisdom tooth removed if it’s causing you too much discomfort.
What to Do?
It’s not easy to ignore the signs and symptoms if your tooth nerve pain is causing you to perform poorly.
You must seek medical treatment to ensure that
the health of your teeth is not compromised. If the pain is starting to get unbearable, it’s time to visit your dentist.
Aside from severe nerve pain, you must call your dentist if:
- you do not find relief in over-the-counter pain medications
- putting ice on the affected area isn’t helpful anymore
- you don’t enjoy drinking cold and hot drinks at all
- blood starts to show in your gumline
- you feel pain in your jaw
- the foods you eat seem to have a bad taste
- you feel like your oral health is compromised
- tooth discharge starts to occur
In addition, you must opt for a proper diagnosis if the signs and symptoms are accompanied by:
- chills and high fever
- facial injury
- face rash
- jaw pain with chest pain
- difficulty biting, chewing, or swallowing
If you are unsure about how the procedure happens, call and we will discuss it. We offer high-quality procedures that can appropriately address your issues.
Dr. Dennis begin with X-rays and an oral exam to check the overall health of your mouth.
After the diagnosis, she will discuss the treatment options and various costs with you.
Dr. Dennis will do whatever is necessary to make you feel better.
To avoid tooth nerve pain you must practice proper oral hygiene, avoid drinks and foods high in acid and sugar, and live a healthy lifestyle.
Routine dental checkups keep your mouth in great shape too!