One of the worst and unsettling feelings is when you feel a chronic pain in your tooth. Do I have a cavity? Is my tooth going to fall out? Will the pain go away? All these questions rush through your head when you feel tooth pain. While chronic tooth pain should indeed be a reason for concern and you should schedule an appointment with your dentist if you’re experiencing it, after you’ve done that here are the five top reasons for tooth aches to help give you a better understanding of the pain:
5. Teeth Grinding
One of the biggest root causes of tooth aches can actually just be that you grind your teeth too much. You may notice this yourself just throughout the day or specifically during stressful situations, however the real issue is that many teeth grinders actually grind their teeth while they’re sleeping. If you suspect that you’re grinding your teeth you should talk to your dentist and you may have to use a mouth guard to sleep.
4. Temperature
Have you ever noticed a sharp pain after eating some delicious ice cream or after drinking some hot tea? A lot of people feel pain after eating or drinking things that are too hot or cold, and that could be a sign of the enamel on your tooth wearing out. If it’s a common occurrence with you, you may want to consider a tooth paste specific for sensitive teeth, and if that fails schedule an appointment to discuss more options with your dentist.
3. Incorrect Brushing or Flossing
Brushing your teeth is something that we’ve all done since a young age, but just because we’ve been doing it almost our whole lives doesn’t mean that we’ve been doing it right. One of the main problems people have with their brushing or flossing is when they’re doing it too hard for instance. If you commonly brush too hard, especially to the point where you bleed, you may actually be causing damage to your gums. You may want to either ask your dentist to show you the proper technique for brushing on your next visit, or even look up a video online on the proper technique.
2. Tooth Fractures
Have you ever chipped or damaged your tooth at one point in your life? If so, that may be the root cause of your tooth aches. Even if it was an old injury that didn’t hurt before, the damage can actually spread and once it reaches the middle of the tooth then it results in extreme pain for the individual. If you think you may have had a tooth fracture, it’s recommended to discuss it with your dentist as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
1. Gum Disease
One of the scourges of oral health worldwide is gum disease and for good reason. Many individuals suffer from gum disease and don’t notice or treat it until it’s progressed too much. Gum disease can cause many negative symptoms, including a constant dull tooth pain. It can also cause pain by causing the oral bone and gums to be inflamed. I think you get where this is going, but if you think you have gum disease you should immediately see your dentist and switch to a special toothpaste for sensitive gums.
