Toothache
Toothache
Overview
Toothache is pain in and around the teeth and jaws. It’s usually caused by tooth decay.
You can feel toothache in many ways. It can come and go or be constant. Eating or drinking can make the pain worse, particularly if the food or drink is hot or cold.
The pain can also be mild or severe. It might feel sharp and start suddenly. It can be worse at night, particularly when you’re lying down. A lost filling or broken tooth can sometimes start the pain.
It can also sometimes be difficult to decide whether the pain is in your upper or lower teeth. When a lower molar tooth is affected, the pain can often feel like it’s coming from the ear.
Toothache in other upper teeth may feel like it’s coming from the sinuses, the small, air-filled cavities behind your cheekbones and forehead.
The area of your jaw close to the infected tooth may also be sore and tender to touch.
It’s also possible for periodontal disease to give rise to a dull pain. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that affects the soft and hard structures that support the teeth.
Speak to your dentist if:
- you have toothache for more than 1 or 2 days
The longer you leave it, the worse it will get.
If your toothache isn’t treated, the pulp inside your tooth can become infected. This may lead to a dental abscess, with severe and continuous throbbing pain.
Painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, may reduce the pain and discomfort while you’re waiting for an appointment. Children under 16 years of age shouldn’t be given aspirin.
Common Symptoms
Symptom information is not available for this condition yet.
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Causes
What causes toothache?
Toothache happens when the innermost layer of the tooth, called the dental pulp, becomes inflamed. This pulp is made up of sensitive nerves and blood vessels, so when it's irritated, the pain can feel sharp and hard to ignore.
Several things can cause the dental pulp to become inflamed:
- Tooth decay: this wears away at the tooth's hard outer surface and leads to cavities.
- A cracked tooth: the crack may be so fine that you can't even see it with the naked eye.
- Loose or broken fillings.
- Receding gums: this is when the gums shrink back and expose the softer, more sensitive parts of the tooth root.
- A periapical abscess: a pocket of pus at the tip of the tooth's root caused by a bacterial infection.
There are also other conditions that can cause pain that feels like a toothache, even though the pulp itself isn't affected. These include:
- A periodontal abscess: a pocket of pus in the gums caused by a bacterial infection.
- Ulcers on the gums.
- Sore or swollen gums around a tooth that is coming through, such as when wisdom teeth start to emerge.
- Sinusitis: which can sometimes cause pain that spreads to the upper jaw.
- An injury to the temporomandibular joint, the joint that connects the jaw to the skull.
Babies can also feel discomfort as their first teeth start to develop and come through. This is commonly known as teething.
Treatment
The kind of treatment you get for a toothache depends on what is causing the pain. Your dentist will examine your mouth and may take an X-ray to help find the problem.
If your toothache is caused by tooth decay, your dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth and replace it with a filling.
If your toothache is caused by a loose or broken filling, the dentist will take out the old filling, remove any decay underneath, and put in a new filling.
If the soft tissue inside your tooth, the pulp, has become infected, you may need root canal treatment. In this procedure, the infected pulp is removed and a special type of filling is put in place to seal the tooth and stop it from becoming infected again.
Your tooth may need to be removed if the toothache cannot be treated by any of these methods, or if the tooth is impacted, meaning it is wedged tightly between another tooth and your jaw.
Prevention
Keeping your teeth and gums as healthy as possible is the best way to protect yourself from toothache and other dental problems.
Do
- Limit sugary foods and drinks, having them only occasionally and mainly with meals
- Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, and brush your gums and tongue gently as well
- Clean between your teeth using interdental brushes or dental floss
- Give up smoking, since it can make some dental problems worse
Try to go for regular dental check-ups, ideally with the same dentist each time. How often you need to go depends on how healthy your teeth and gums are and how likely you are to develop problems in future. Your dentist will let you know when your next check-up should be, based on your overall oral health.
Read more about taking care of your teeth and keeping them clean.