TOOTH PAIN- WHAT ARE THE TYPES AND CAUSES?

Tooth pain can occur in many forms, it can be isolated to one tooth, or many, it can be instigated by temperature (hot or cold) or when chewing. Let’s take a look at the most common instances of tooth pain.
There are two basic types of tooth pain.
– Sharp and Dull
Sharp tooth pain is caused by many factors.
– A broken cusp of a tooth
– Decay at the gumline
– A space between a crown/ filling at the gumline
– A filling or crown that is too high when chewing
– Grinding or clenching
– Cold temperatures
Sharp tooth pain rarely lingers, it is short duration and often instigated by the factors listed above. Sharp tooth pain relief is usually accomplished by repairing fractured cusp with a crown or onlay, adjusting the crown/ filling that is too high when biting, checking for and removing any decay or faulty crowns/ fillings at the gum line. Sharp tooth pain should always be evaluated because sharp tooth pain can lead to dull pain, which is discussed below.
Dull tooth pain is often more serious, and usually means the nerve inside the tooth has been irreversibly damaged.
Dull tooth pain is usually initiated with hot temperatures, hot coffee or soup.
It will tend to ache for a significant period of time.
It can wake you up in the middle of the night or just start to ache spontaneously. It can also be initiated by tapping on the tooth.
Dull tooth pain originates from the nerve/pulp of the tooth.
Tooth pain is often an indicator of a potentially serious problem that should be addressed by a dentist.