What Tooth Pain Means

Tooth pain should never be ignored. It is almost certainly a symptom of a problem requiring professional dental treatment.
Tooth pain is usually due to the nerve being exposed due to damage to the tooth or to inflammation or infection, according to the Better Health Channel. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Teeth_root_canal_treatment

Damage can be caused by:
• Dental decay
• A cracked tooth, which may or may not be visible to the naked eye
• An exposed root, due either to the gums receding or damage from brushing too hard.
Inflammation may be an after-effect of dental treatment or it may be a warning sign of infection.

The symptoms include:
• Sensitivity to hot and cold drinks
• Pain when biting or chewing
• Swelling of the gum around the affected tooth
• Facial swelling

If the pulp of the tooth is infected, root canal therapy will be needed. This is where the pulp of the tooth is replaced with a filling. In most cases this does not affect the tooth’s health or functionality.

Some of the causes of infected dental pulp are:
• Untreated decay
• Decay beneath a deep filling
• Trauma that damages the tooth
• Teeth grinding
• Advanced gum disease

You can prevent the more serious causes of tooth pain by having regular 6 monthly dental examinations and professional cleanings and radiographs (x-rays) every two years.