Three Potential Causes of Toothaches
by Gregory Price
When you have a toothache, chances are your mind immediately starts wondering what on earth could be wrong. Unfortunately, a generic toothache is difficult to find the answer to without a physical examination. However, if you have a toothache, there's a good chance that it's due to one of these three common causes of toothaches.
Grinding
Tooth grinding is perhaps the most benign cause on this list — but it is not entirely without danger.
When you grind your teeth, whether you do it during the day while you're stressed out or at night while you're asleep, you do damage to your teeth. Grinding puts pressure on each tooth and stresses the nerve inside the tooth, which is the pain that you're feeling.
Tooth grinding typically causes limited damage, but it can wear down your teeth over a long period of time. If you think that you grind your teeth, consider asking your dentist for a grinding guard to put a stop to the damage and pain.
Break
Another potential common cause is a chip or break in the tooth. This is sometimes seen with teeth grinding, but it's more common to happen due to eating something very hard or from biting your nails.
A broken or cracked tooth might have such a small piece missing that it's barely noticeable when you look in the mirror. However, any opening in a tooth can expose the inner pulp to the outside world. The inner pulp is full of nerves. These sensitive nerves can cause toothaches simply because they're exposed to the rest of your mouth, but cold and hot food and drinks can make it feel worse, too.
Cavity
A cavity is definitely a potential cause of toothaches. Like the break, when a cavity develops, it tends to bore straight through a tooth wherever it started. This means that a cavity can cause mild to extreme pain depending upon how deeply it goes into the tooth. Unfortunately, many people don't realize they have cavities until this pain has already started.
If your teeth hurt, it's a sure sign that something's wrong, and you ought to get help for it. The longer you put off getting help, the more likely it is that the pain and damage will only get worse, with all three of these conditions. Get in touch with a dentist right away when you're experiencing discomfort to start the process of recovery today. To learn more about dentistry, contact a dentist near you.
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About Me
Up until a year ago, I did my best to keep my teeth and gums clean. But after securing a new job, I began to work late into the night and didn't have the time or energy to brush and floss before I retired to bed. My busy schedule and poor dental hygiene finally affected my teeth and gums. After experiencing severe pain in several of my teeth, I made an appointment with my dentist. My dentist examined my mouth and discovered three large cavities in my molars. After four long weeks, my dentist finally completed my dental work. I learned a very painful lesson during that time. No matter how busy you are, always brush and floss. I started this blog to inform other people about the importance of good dental care. I hope you find the time to read it. Thanks for visiting.
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