What are the four main causes of frequent toothache?

Have you ever experienced toothache in your daily life? Occasionally, a hot drink or a bite of ice cream on a hot day can result in a severe toothache. If your teeth hurt often, it must be because there is something wrong with your teeth. At this time, the patient should seek medical attention in time and should not delay to avoid delaying the treatment. If the teeth are not treated for a long time and the condition worsens, the treatment will be more complicated.

1. Tooth decay

When caries (tooth decay) develops to a certain depth and reaches the pulp or is close to the pulp, the bacteria in the caries can enter the pulp cavity directly or through the small tubules of the dentin, causing pulpitis. The toothache caused by pulpitis is extremely unbearable. Even without external stimulation, it can cause severe spontaneous pain, and the pain is intermittent. Most patients experience more severe pain when they sleep at night. This is because the head is in a lower position when lying than when standing, and the pulp cavity is more easily congested, which increases the pressure in the pulp cavity and compresses the nerves, so the pain is more severe. Hot or cold stimulation can make toothache worse. When suffering from pulpitis, the pain often radiates along the distribution area of ​​the trigeminal nerve to the upper and lower teeth and the head and face on the same side, so patients often have symptoms of hemiplegic headache and temple pain. Since the nerve endings in the dental pulp only have pain receptors but no positioning receptors, patients often cannot tell which tooth is diseased, and sometimes they feel pain in the lower teeth when they have pain in the upper teeth. If caries develops into pulpitis, the pain will be more intense and throbbing. Thermal stimulation can aggravate the pain, while cold stimulation can relieve the pain. Such patients often like to take a sip of cold water. When it develops into apical periodontitis, the patient feels that his teeth have grown taller and he is afraid to bite things with the diseased teeth.

2. Periodontal disease

Periodontal disease can cause two different types of toothache. The most common symptom is pain on chewing. Due to the inflammation of periodontal tissue, suppuration occurs in the periodontal pocket, which makes it very painful for the patient to bite things. Another type of pain is similar to pulpitis caused by caries. This is mainly because when the teeth are very loose, bacteria reach the root foramen at the end of the root from the periodontal pocket, and then enter the pulp cavity through the root foramen, causing pulpitis and pain.

3. Wedge-shaped defect and wear

Because the teeth of the elderly have been used for decades, the wear of the occlusal surfaces and the defects of the neck of the teeth are quite serious. When the wear of the occlusal surfaces and the defects of the neck of the teeth are close to or reach the pulp, the bacteria in the mouth can enter the tooth tissue and cause pulpitis, apical periodontitis, and even inflammation and swelling of the maxillofacial soft tissue, causing pain.

4. Hidden cracks

Sometimes, extremely fine cracks that are difficult to detect appear on teeth. When these cracks penetrate deep into the dentin and approach the pulp, they often cause pulpitis. Sometimes microcracks extend along the root surface toward the root apex, which may cause periodontal tissue infection or periodontal pocket formation, causing toothache.