Toothache
দাঁতের ব্যথা
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.
Toothache is pain in and around the teeth and jaws. Most of the time it's caused by tooth decay.
People feel toothache in different ways. The pain can come and go, or it can be constant. Eating or drinking can make it worse, especially if the food or drink is hot or cold.
The pain may be mild or severe. It might feel sharp and start suddenly. It can be worse at night, particularly when you're lying down. Sometimes a lost filling or a broken tooth sets it off.
It can also be hard to tell whether the pain is in your upper or lower teeth. If a lower molar tooth is affected, the pain can often feel as if it's coming from the ear. Toothache in the other upper teeth may feel as if it's coming from the sinuses, which are the small, air-filled cavities behind your cheekbones and forehead.
The part of your jaw close to the infected tooth may also be sore and tender to touch.
Periodontal disease can also cause a dull pain. It is a bacterial infection that affects the soft and hard structures that support the teeth.
See 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.
What causes toothache?
Toothache happens when the innermost layer of the tooth, called the dental pulp, becomes inflamed. The pulp is made up of sensitive nerves and blood vessels.
Dental pulp can become inflamed because of:
- tooth decay, which leads to holes (cavities) forming in the hard surface of the tooth
- a cracked tooth, where the crack is often so small that it can't be seen with the naked eye
- loose or broken fillings
- receding gums, where the gums shrink (contract) and expose softer, more sensitive parts of the tooth root
- periapical abscess, a collection of pus at the end of the tooth caused by a bacterial infection
Some other conditions can cause pain similar to toothache, even though the pulp isn't affected. These include:
- periodontal abscess, a collection of pus in the gums caused by a bacterial infection
- ulcers on your gums
- sore or swollen gums around a tooth that's breaking through, for example when your wisdom teeth start to come through
- sinusitis, which sometimes causes pain around the upper jaw
- an injury to the joint that attaches the jaw to the skull (temporomandibular joint)
Babies can also feel discomfort when their teeth start to develop. This is known as teething.
Read more: Tooth decay · Sinusitis
Treatment of toothache
How toothache is treated depends on what is causing the pain. Your dentist will look inside your mouth and may take an X-ray to try to find the problem.
If tooth decay is behind your toothache, the dentist will remove the decayed area and put in a filling.
If the cause is a loose or broken filling, the dentist will take that filling out, remove any decay, and place a new filling.
If the pulp inside your tooth is infected, you may need root canal treatment. The infected pulp is removed, and then a special type of filling is put in to seal the tooth and stop the infection coming back.
Your tooth may have to be taken out if toothache can't be treated by these methods, or if the tooth is wedged between another tooth and your jaw (this is called an impacted tooth).
How to prevent toothache
To avoid toothache and other dental problems, the best thing you can do is keep your teeth and gums as healthy as possible.
Things to do
- Limit sugary foods and drinks. Have them as an occasional treat, and only at meal times.
- Brush your teeth twice a day with a toothpaste that contains fluoride, and gently brush your gums and tongue as well.
- Clean between your teeth using interdental brushes or dental floss.
- Stop smoking, because it can make some dental problems worse.
Make sure you have regular dental check-ups, ideally with the same dentist. The time between check-ups can vary, depending on how healthy your teeth and gums are and your risk of developing future problems.
Your dentist will suggest when your next check-up should be, based on the health of your mouth as a whole.