Frequently Asked Questions

Why Does My Tooth Hurt?

There are many reasons why a tooth may hurt. 

• Recently done Dental Work

  • It is not uncommon for a tooth, your gums, or even your jaw to be sore after dental work is done. If this is mild, and only for a few days there is nothing to worry about.

    • Feel free to take some Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or other pain medication to help with the pain. If the pain is jaw pain (from your mouth being open so long) usually Ibuprofen, or another NSAID medication is the most helpful thing to take.​

  • Please call us:

    • If the pain is severe (aching or throbbing, or hurting all on its own)

    • The tooth feels "too tall" or like it hits first when you bite your teeth together

      • ​We may need to adjust the filling

      • Sometimes the tooth may be telling us that the filling is too large for it, and that the tooth prefers a crown​​​​​​

    • If it has been over a week and the tooth is still sensitive​​​

      • Some teeth just take longer to heal, but please let us take a look to make sure nothing needs to be done​

    • For your information, all follow up appointments are FREE​, so please don't let that stop you from calling us
       

• "Bruised" Tooth

  • Sometimes teeth will hurt, and we can't figure out why.  Rather than jumping into doing treatment like Root Canals and Crowns, the best thing is often to just wait a few weeks.
    Generally the tooth will just get better all on its own (the "bruise" heals). Occasionally things get worse, and we are then able to localize the problem and come up with a solution. ​

  • If you have any concerns please call us to set up an appointment. For your information, patients who are up to date on their dental cleanings get FREE emergency visits between cleaning appointments. So please feel free to call us!
     

• Cracked Tooth

  • Cracked teeth can be tricky because they don't all act the same way

  • Some things that lead us to believe a tooth may be cracked are the following:

    • Pain when you chew, especially sharp pain​

    • A large filling, accompanied with pain when you chew

    • Sometimes the crack is actually visible, if it is we will try to get a camera picture of it for you to see it too

    • We also have a special "bite stick" here that helps us find out if a tooth is cracked

  • If a tooth is cracked, a Filling is usually NOT the solution. The solution is often a Crown, that will go 360° around the tooth to hold the tooth together so that the crack cannot get bigger.

  • Teeth that hurt when you chew could also due to being Bruised, Abscessed, due to Clenching or Grinding, or due to Sinus Issues​
     

• Abscessed Tooth

  • An Abscessed tooth would generally have the following Symptoms:

    • The main give away is a tooth that hurts All By Itself. Meaning you are not eating, clenching, or putting anything cold or hot on it and the tooth is aching. 

    • Sometimes this will wake you up at night​

    • Sometimes a tooth that wakes you up at night may NOT be abscessed, but it may hurt, and wake you up, because you are clenching or grinding your teeth in your sleep.

  • Other symptoms of a possibly abscessed tooth MAY include:​​​

    • ​The tooth hurts when chewing, or possibly just by touching it with your finger or tongue

    • The tooth my have a sharp pain to cold temperatures that continues to hurt for over 10 seconds after the cold is taken off of the tooth

    • The tooth may have a sharp pain to hot temperatures - and sipping cold water may help it feel better​

  • Sometimes an Abscessed Tooth will be VERY painful for a few days, and then go away. This pain is likely to come back in a few days or weeks if the Abscessed Tooth is not delt with​

  • An abscessed tooth will often show up on a dental x-ray as having a shadow around the root of the tooth
     

• Clenching or Grinding (usually while asleep)

  • Many people Clench or Grind there teeth, either while they are awake or when they are asleep.

  • Studies usually show that about 10% of people Clench or Grind their teeth in their sleep.​

  • We can Clench or Grind 5 to 7 times harder when we are asleep. So it is usually night time Clenching or Grinding that causes damage to our teeth

  • Clenching or grinding can cause Tooth Ware, Tooth Chipping, Tooth Cracking, and Tooth Pain

  • VERY OFTEN there are no symptoms when someone Clenches or Grinds their teeth. But if there are symptoms, they may look like this:

    • Often if a person has mild pain on multiple teeth when chewing

    • Often the pain will be present for a few days, then go away for a few days or weeks, then come back.

      • ​This is because many of us only grind our teeth for a few nights a month, and our teeth are only sore after we have been grinding

    • Often symptoms can be similar to Sinus Problem Symptoms (see below)​

  • ​​For mild issues with Clenching or Grinding a soft over-the-counter Nightguard works well.

    • A Soft Nightguard helps prevent ware from teeth rubbing ​against teeth

    • One our patients love is called "The Doctors Nightguard".  Here is a link to it on Amazon (I do not make any commission)

  • For moderate or severe cases of Clenching or Grinding a custom made Nightguard is best.

    • ​ A Hard Nightguard helps prevent ware on your teeth as well as damage such as chipping and cracking of teeth

    • This Guard is made from molds you get in our office. The first visit we get molds of your teeth, the second visit we fit the guard to your teeth.
       

• Sinus Problems

  • The sinus' are close to the roots of teeth so sinus infections can make our teeth hurt.

  • Usually this would include multiple teeth hurting, often a sharp pain that hurts when we bite our teeth together.

  • Usually it would be the upper back teeth that hurt, but it could be the upper front teeth and occasionally the bottom teeth that hurt.

  • If we suspect that this is the cause of your tooth pain we can prescribe an antibiotic
     

• Cyst or other Pathology

  • It is uncommon, but cysts or other bone, soft tissue, or connective tissue problems could make our teeth hurt​

  • Nerve issues can also make our teeth hurt

  • These issues can occasionally be difficult to diagnose.

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If you are experiencing tooth pain, please call us to make an appointment. Please read about out Emergency Exams to know what to expect when you come in.