Dental Pain

Dental pain can be caused by several reasons. Consultation with and examination by dentist is necessary as it dental pain can progress if left untreated. Below we have discussed the most common causes, but there could be other reasons not covered in this article.

Decay

One of the most common reasons for pain is tooth decay where bacteria stimulate nerves in the pulp of the tooth. This can start off as sensitivity, progressing to pain on eating, sometimes more to hot or cold stimuli and even may lead to excruciating pain keeping the person up at night.

The treatment would be determined when dentist takes an X-Ray. It could be a new filling, repairing an old one, and if the decay is in the pulp then root canal treatment or an extraction. 

Sensitivity

When tooth enamel wears away or gums recede, the dentine layer is exposed. This layer is connected to the pulp where the nerves are located. As cold food or drink hits the dentinal tubules, the short sharp pain arises. 

Treatment could involve simply applying toothpastes or high fluoride pastes to the area, but could require fillings in more advanced cases. 

Fractured/ cracked tooth

These problems can arise when biting on extremely hard foods, accidents, old fillings that weaken with time and in those that grind their teeth. The tooth affected can be difficult to locate as these cracks can be very small at times and not always picked up on X-Ray. The dentist will use other methods to reach a proper diagnosis. The pain is classically on eating on this tooth especially when the bite is released. There can be sensitivity and swelling around the gum. 

Treatment is based on the extent of the fracture, ranging from a filling to a crown, and the worse ones could need an extraction.

Abscess

These swellings of the gums can sometimes be quite large and can also present with pus exuding from the gum. These are the result of infection coming from the pulp of the tooth or from gum disease. These should be dealt with immediately as they can progress rapidly in some cases and even become life threatening.

The dentist will try to remove the source of infection, which could be via a root canal treatment if the infection is from the pulp. If this is not an option then extraction will be the next option. In cases of gum disease, deep gum cleaning or extraction will deal with the cause. Antibiotics may also be prescribed but are not always needed, especially if there are no systemic symptoms such as fever.