A toothache or tooth pain can come from a tooth or the area around a tooth. There are many different causes. Treatment will depend on what is causing your problem.
Below are three causes of toothaches or tooth pain.
If tooth decay is not treated, it can spread deeper into your tooth. As it gets deeper, it is more likely to cause pain. Early signs of tooth decay can include discomfort to sweet or cold foods and drinks. Pain from hot foods and drinks may be a sign of severe tooth decay. If tooth decay travels into the nerve in the middle of your tooth, it can cause an infection and a toothache.
Wisdom teeth can cause pain when they are pushing into your mouth. It can be difficult to keep a wisdom tooth that is sitting halfway through the gums clean. This can because bacteria can build up and may cause inflammation, infection or pain.
There are many reasons that teeth can break.
Tooth decay can cause teeth to break. The tooth decay takes away the strong tooth structure and causes the tooth to become weak and break.
Teeth can break from biting on hard items. Common causes can include hard lollies, chocolate that has been kept in the fridge, nuts, popcorn kernels, pork crackling, and olive seeds.
Opening items using your teeth can also cause them to break. If tooth enamel breaks away, the dentine layer inside can be exposed. This may cause pain or make the tooth sensitive.
What do I do if I have a toothache?
If you have a toothache, it is important to see a dentist as soon as possible. The best thing you can do is have that cause of the pain treated. Pain relief medication can help until you see your dentist. If you do not have a regular dentist, you can find one using the Australian Dental Association’s Find a Dentist search engine.
You may not need antibiotics for your toothache.
All articles are thoroughly researched and reference high-quality studies and information to support the subject matter.
Our experts continually monitor the oral health space. As research and recommendations change or we get reader feedback, we update the information in our articles.