A general dentist can help if you find yourself dealing with tooth pain. As uncomfortable as these sensations can be, they are your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong. It is typically one of the last symptoms of unaddressed dental issues to show up.
Some of the reasons why you might experience toothaches include:
Tooth pain is a broad symptom and can happen for many different reasons. Pain triggered by specific things like sweets, cold drinks, or biting pressure may point to different underlying problems and are often best explained on their own.
Tooth pain can manifest in different ways. It can be constant, throbbing, or sharp. In some cases, people only notice pain with certain triggers, such as when eating sweets. The pain can be excruciating enough to make it impossible to get any sleep or focus on anything. Toothaches can be accompanied by headaches, fever, inflammation around a tooth, or a weird taste in the mouth.
Anyone who has tooth pain that lasts more than a couple of days, is excruciatingly painful, or is accompanied with a fever should seek the help of a general dentist immediately. The most painful toothaches are often signs of a tooth infection, which requires immediate dental care.
This page covers tooth pain in a broad sense. While some toothaches are caused by obvious issues like cavities or infections, others are tied to more specific triggers and may require a more focused evaluation.
Specific types of tooth pain—such as pain from sweets, cold sensitivity, or discomfort when biting—are usually better understood as separate issues with their own causes and treatments.
Toothaches can sometimes be managed with over-the-counter medication, but that only provides a temporary solution. Remember what we said about tooth pain earlier? It is a sign of an underlying dental issue, and the only permanent solution is to treat that problem.
General dentists start treatments for toothaches by examining their patients to determine the cause of their discomfort. This usually includes closely examining their teeth and gums. The patient’s teeth, gums, jaw, throat, tongue, sinuses, neck, nose, and ears are carefully examined during the visit. Tests like X-rays might also be used to detect the source of the pain.
Once the source of the pain is identified, the dentist might recommend one of several treatments depending on the cause and severity of the problem, including:
A dentist might recommend conventional fillings or composite ones if their patient’s pain is caused by cavities. These are tiny holes that form on teeth due to acids produced by oral bacteria eating away at teeth structures.
These treatments typically involve injecting patients with local anesthetics so they do not feel pain as the dentist removes decayed material from their teeth. The cavity is then filled up with a filling, which serves as a barrier that prevents acids from expanding the cavity and irritating the dentin.
Crowns are often recommended for severely decayed teeth that need something more than fillings to hold them together and protect them from acids in the mouth. The procedure also involves removing decayed material from the tooth. A crown is placed on it afterward.
This procedure is suggested for infected teeth or teeth with compromised pulp chambers due to decay or trauma. It involves removing the tooth’s pulp, disinfecting the area, and sealing it with gutta-percha. Root canals allow dentists to save severely decayed or damaged teeth.
Extractions are a last resort when it comes to treating tooth pain. They are recommended when teeth are too damaged to be saved.
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Treating tooth pain is often as easy as identifying the cause and treating it. That is often enough to bring your pain to an end. Give us a call or stop by our Whittier clinic if you’re dealing with toothaches.
Request an appointment or call Bailey Family Dental - Brian Choi, DMD - Whittier, CA at 562-698-8739 for an appointment in our Whittier office.
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