What’s Causing My Toothache? And Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It!

What’s Causing My Toothache? And Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It!

07-03-2023

Dental pain can often creep up on us. You might notice some sensitivity when eating ice cream or drinking something cold and sweet, but you may have chosen to ignore it in the hope it goes away. Then, one day it arrives; a distinct sharp or throbbing pain in or around one of your teeth. 

Paracetamol or ibuprofen might take away the feeling for a while, but the cause of your toothache is still there, and that pain you’re feeling is a warning sign that shouldn’t be ignored. 

So, what’s causing your toothache, and what can you do about it?

Here’s a brief explanation of what’s happening to your tooth when you’re experiencing pain and the steps you should take to relieve the discomfort. 

What Is Causing Your Toothache?

There are a few potential reasons you have a toothache, including trauma, tooth decay, and infection. 

Trauma 

The pain and discomfort may have started following some dental trauma. If you’ve knocked or damaged your teeth accidentally, it can cause pain and leave you open to infection. 

Tooth decay

The most common cause of toothache is tooth decay. Inside your mouth, you always have countless bacteria. Some of these bacteria are fine and won’t harm. Other bacteria, however, feed on sugar and starch in your diet and, in doing so, create acid. This acid clings to your teeth, eroding the enamel. 

Sensitivity in your teeth is often caused by a weakening of the enamel. Eventually, the acid will break through and create cavities, small holes in the surface of your tooth. 

Infection

Untreated tooth decay will leave an open door for bacteria to penetrate further. Eventually, the erosion process brings bacteria to the heart of your tooth, opening the living tissue inside up to the risk of infection. 

How to Get Rid Of Toothache

If you’ve got a toothache, the last thing you want is for it to ruin your day. You may feel inclined to try and manage the symptoms and hope the pain goes away on its own. 

It’s important that you book a dental appointment at the earliest opportunity. Toothache doesn’t go away on its own, and whether the cause is trauma, decay, or infection, you must still get treatment before further infection or damage occurs. 

While you’re waiting to see us, you can relieve the symptoms of your toothache by:

• Taking painkillers like ibuprofen or paracetamol
• Gargling salt water
• Using an oral pain-relieving gel from your pharmacist 

How Will We Treat Your Toothache?

When your tooth is damaged due to trauma, we’ll ideally repair this to prevent infection. Depending on the extent of the damage, we could use fillings, composite bonding, crowns, or veneers to restore the tooth. 

If you have a cavity caused by tooth decay, we’ll use a filling. This is a simple procedure that restores the damaged surface of your tooth and protects it from infection. 

Dental infections typically require a root canal treatment. Here, we’ll remove all the infected matter and bacteria from inside your tooth and close it up to stop you from suffering from a similar infection again. 

In all of these cases, we suggest coming to see us as soon as possible. Decay and trauma will lead to infection, and ignoring an infected tooth can have serious complications. 

Book Your Appointment Today

There’s never a good time to have a toothache. Although we understand just how busy and stressful life can be, it’s important to come and see us when you have dental issues like this. 

If you’re experiencing a toothache, call us today and arrange a check-up appointment.