From Most Common to Rare Causes of Toothaches
When you experience a toothache, you immediately think that you have a problem with a tooth. You wonder what is causing it. There are several reasons why you are having this painful sensation. It can be anywhere from a tooth decay to a root abscess, or even from sinusitis to heart disease.
A toothache is pain that you feel in or around your tooth.
The pain can be described as throbbing or sharp; sometimes you feel swelling or tenderness of the gums around the tooth; sometimes it’s a painful sensitivity to hot or cold drinks. You might even say burning, which is not common. You might even experience fever. Pain can be mild to severe, constant to intermittent.
Causes of toothaches range from most common to less common to rare.
Tooth decay is the most common cause for toothaches. There may be infection in the pulp of the tooth or it may have reached the root tip where an abscess has formed. Rarely, it may reach the brain. An impacted tooth can also cause toothache; it may be trying to erupt through the bone and gum but is unable.
Referred pain is another type of toothache pain.
You feel it in your mouth, but it is actually a problem coming from elsewhere in the body. For example, your sinuses may be inflamed, which leads to sinusitis that may be due to a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. Your sinuses are close to the roots of the upper teeth; if they are inflamed, you might think it’s your upper teeth.
Other less common causes of referred toothache pain are heart disease and lung cancer.
This is because of the vagus nerve which courses through the brain and goes to different organs, including the heart, lungs, and your jaw.
Rarely, referred pain can be felt in your teeth due to trigeminal neuralgia and occipital neuralgia, where the trigeminal and occipital nerves are inflamed. These nerves pass your skull, face, and teeth.
Taking Toothaches Seriously in Lynnwood
If you are experiencing toothache, come see your Lynnwood dentist. Do not ignore toothache because you never know its real cause.
