The most common reason that brings you to the dentist is, as most would correctly guess is toothache. Whether it’s gnawing, throbbing, sharp or shooting, few things in life are as painful or disruptive as a toothache, especially when they appear out of nowhere. Sometimes the pain lingers or it goes away as quickly as it came. Either way, tooth pain is a sign that there’s usually something more serious going on.
Here are 6 Possible Causes of Sudden Tooth Pain
1) You Have a Cavity – Having a cavity can trigger a sudden pain when you bite down, or tooth sensitivity when you drink or eat sweet, hot or cold foods,
2) You Grind Your Teeth – long-term wear and tear caused by chronic teeth grinding, or clenching, which is usually triggered subconsciously due to stress or anxiety wear down the enamel of your teeth, promoting tooth sensitivity.
3) You Have a Damaged Filling – Sharp sudden pain when you bite down could also be related to having a broken filling. While dental fillings work wonders, they may eventually break or crack due to age, or from the excessive wear and tear of teeth grinding, causing decay and infection.
4) Receding Gums – Sudden tooth sensitivity to hot or cold foods could also be related to the health of your gums. As we age, our gum tissue begins to wear down, leading to gum recession. Receding gums pull away from your tooth surface, exposing the root surfaces of your teeth.
5) You Have a Tooth Fracture - You just bit down on something hard, or you cracked or chipped a tooth playing sports. Other times, you may not even know you have a fractured tooth. Either way, having chipped or cracked teeth may cause some toothaches because it exposes the sensitive nerves inside your teeth.
6) Sinus Infection - Surprisingly, a sinus infection can also cause referred toothache as pressure builds up in the sinuses close to dental roots.
While sudden tooth pain is something that happens to many of us every day, it’s not something we need to live with. And it’s also something you shouldn’t ignore. That sudden ache or pain could be a sign that something more serious is going on with your tooth, so the sooner you get it checked out the better.
