When a tooth hurts, sometimes a person's mind can go to one of the worst possible concerns: cavities. It's true that cavities can induce pain in teeth, but they're certainly not the only causes. Here are three potential things that could be triggering your tooth pain that deserve a dentist's attention.
Enamel Damage
One common cause of tooth pain that isn't a cavity is enamel damage. This is when the hard exterior shell of your tooth is damaged, exposing the inner surfaces of the tooth. These are the parts of the teeth that are sensitive, as their nerves are closer to the surface without the enamel there. As a result, even a gentle touch can feel painful simply because the sensation is overwhelming to the nerve.
While enamel damage isn't a cavity, it can also turn into one, so it's a good idea to get help for this condition as quickly as possible.
Gum Disease
Another potential cause of tooth pain, believe it or not, originates in the gums, not the tooth.
Gum disease can cause your teeth to hurt. This is because if gum disease becomes severe enough, the bacteria responsible for it can start to attack your teeth as well. In addition, the inflammation that the gums are experiencing can spread to the nerves of your tooth, inflicting significant pain.
Unfortunately, it's usually the later stages of gum disease that cause tooth pain. This is a problem because once gum disease progresses past gingivitis into periodontitis, it's no longer treatable at home. You'll have to seek help from a dentist if gum disease is behind your tooth pain.
Tooth Resorption
Lastly, a rarer reason for tooth pain is an abnormal behavior called tooth resorption.
Tooth resorption is when something in the body goes wrong and the interior parts of the tooth start to be broken down and absorbed back into the body. This is the same process that happens when you lose your baby teeth, except that it's not ever supposed to happen with adult teeth.
When tooth resorption occurs, it can induce extreme pain because it starts on the inside of the tooth, not the outside like a cavity. This means that it comes into contact with the soft pulp and nerves of the tooth long before it becomes visible to the naked eye. For this reason, you should always say yes to dental x-rays when you visit the dentist to ensure that this kind of problem is caught early on before it puts you in pain.
These three conditions are easily treated by a dentist, so don't suffer any longer than you need to. Make an appointment with a local dental service and get the help that you need right away.
Share26 August 2019
My son was outside playing with some friends when he accidentally fell down and hit his mouth on the sidewalk. The fall knocked out his front tooth, so I immediately placed the tooth in a small jar and added some milk. I rushed my son to the dental clinic and the dentist immediately took us into the examination room. The dentist placed the tooth back into the socket and saved it. My name is Beverly Tillman and thanks to the quick work of the dentist, my son didn't lose his tooth. Since this was a scary time for me and my son, I wanted to write this blog as a source of information for other parents who are facing a dental emergency. First of all, don't panic and get to your dentist as soon as possible. I hope this blog will help to answer your questions about dental emergencies.