What Causes Toothaches?

Posted

A toothache can be excruciating for both children and adults, but in most cases, it can be relieved with help from your dentist. To treat a toothache, your dentist will have to first find out why the tooth hurts, and then design a treatment plan accordingly. Knowing the cause of a toothache can also help you find relief until your dentist can treat it. While there are several reasons for a tooth to hurt, some of the most common ones are those that directly affect a tooth’s structure. Therefore, tooth restoration is often the best choice for relieving a toothache.

Weak enamel/cavities

Thanks to their highly resilient outer layer of enamel, teeth shouldn’t feel anything other than slight pressure from biting and chewing. However, certain foods, combined with excessive oral bacteria, can weaken enamel, causing teeth to become sensitive and more susceptible to cavity development. If a cavity does develop, then the tooth sensitivity will grow increasingly worse until your dentist treats it with a cavity.

Worn-down teeth

When you grind your teeth too much, or if they’re misaligned and subject to too much pressure when you bite and chew, then your teeth can become worn down. As their surfaces are worn, the enamel becomes compromised and the damage to your tooth’s structure can cause mild to severe discomfort. Rebuilding the tooth structure with tooth bonding or a dental crown can alleviate the discomfort as well as help reduce instances of teeth-grinding by creating better bite balance.

Damaged teeth

A cracked or fractured tooth can often cause the most intense tooth pain, especially if the damage exposes the tooth’s pulp tissues and nerves. A significantly damaged tooth will need emergency attention to stop the damage from growing worse, as well as to alleviate the resulting discomfort.

Let Us Treat Your Child’s Toothache

If your child has a toothache, then we can diagnose and treat it! To schedule an examination for your child, call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX today at 214-321-4880.

filed under: Toothaches