Tooth Nerve Pain

A toothache can stop you in your tracks and prevent you from going about your normal activities. When tooth nerve pain is the cause of your discomfort, the pain is often unrelenting, leading to headaches, blurred vision, and loss of appetite. Nerve pain in your teeth won’t disappear on its own. You need professional help from a dentist familiar with all the possible pain sources — the doctors at Atlas Park Dental in Glendale, NY. Tooth nerve pain may not be due to a cavity; teeth grinding may have weakened your teeth, or you may have a hairline fracture that’s allowing air and bacteria to invade the nerve. Get help right away when you feel a shooting pain in your teeth. Call Atlas Park Dental, where emergency appointments are available.

Inside each tooth runs a nerve that signals pain. Several conditions contribute to tooth nerve pain, and all cause a significant disruption to your quality of life. Pain in any form indicates injury or disease to healthy tissue. Tooth nerve pain usually means something is causing excess blood flow to the tooth, inflaming the tissue and squeezing the nerve. Often, the first signs of nerve tooth pain occur when you eat or drink something hot or cold. The sudden change in temperature sends shooting pain through your mouth. Thinning enamel as you age makes this even more noticeable. All tooth nerve pain relief comes from finding the underlying cause and treating it effectively. At the very first signs of nerve pain in your teeth, call the doctors at Atlas Park Dental, to stop the pain and prevent further complications.

Conditions Contributing to Tooth Nerve Pain

Unfortunately, tooth pain conditions are all too common. To discover the source of your pain and provide tooth nerve pain relief, the team at Atlas Park Dental looks for:

• Cavities. Both large and small cavities allow liquids and food, along with bacteria, to enter small pockets in your tooth, getting closer to the nerve. You may notice pain when chewing, biting, or eating foods that are hot or cold, sweet or sugary, sour or acidic. Your face or gums may swell too.
• Bruxism. The medical term for grinding your teeth, a continuous or habitual clenching of the jaw puts significant pressure on your teeth, wearing them down, weakening them, and possibly cracking or fracturing them. Loose teeth and cracks allow pain-inducing bacteria to get closer to the tooth nerve.
• Cracked or broken teeth. Whether due to bruxism, cavities, or injury, any time a tooth’s structure is compromised, you experience pain. Your tooth’s outer shell of enamel protects the tooth nerve. When the structure crumbles, the nerve becomes vulnerable.
• Gum disease. Gingivitis (the early stage of gum disease) and periodontitis (advanced gum disease) weaken the tissue closest to the tooth root. The weakened barrier exposes the root and nerve to changes in temperature and bacteria, both of which cause pain.
• Infections. Gum disease, injury to your mouth, and cavities allow bacteria access to your inner tooth. As infection sets in, your body rushes blood to the area to fight the infection. The added pressure inside the tooth causes pain, throbbing, and general discomfort.
• Impacted wisdom teeth. Often, your mouth and jaw aren’t big enough to support the back molars, also known as wisdom teeth. Since they’re usually the last to come in, there’s less room for those back teeth to grow. When there’s no room for these molars, the pressure of the movement causes nerve tooth pain.

Symptoms of Tooth Nerve Pain

The doctors at Atlas Park Dental in Glendale, NY decide on a proper course of action after identifying the underlying cause of your tooth nerve pain. They examine your mouth and teeth both manually and with imaging photos provided by x-rays, panoramic x-rays, or CT scans for more serious conditions. A thorough family dentist may also order blood work to check for infections. While treating your nerve tooth pain, your dentist also works to relieve your uncomfortable symptoms, which may include:

• Throbbing
• Swelling
• Bleeding
• Headaches
• Sore throat
• Tongue pain
• Jaw pain

Tooth Nerve Pain Relief

After determining the cause of your pain, the doctors at Atlas Park Dental in Glendale, NY take appropriate steps to address the source of your discomfort. Common treatments to stop nerve pain include:

• Removing decayed material and filling a cavity
• Performing a root canal to completely remove the nerve, which can save the tooth
• Treating gum disease with a deep cleaning or another procedure
• Pulling a tooth, which is often the course of treatment needed for wisdom teeth that don’t fit your mouth properly

Depending on the severity of your dental health problems and the level of pain, you may need to undergo several procedures. If you grind your teeth, your dentist may fit you with a mouthpiece or retainer to wear at night, giving your jaw and teeth some relief. You may also be prescribed pain-relieving medication and possibly antibiotics to treat an infection. Get the proper treatment today — contact Atlas Park Dental in Glendale, NY.