Anyone who has ever suffered from toothache knows exactly why teeth, their treatment – even if it is only the semi-annual checkup by a professional – and their diseases are a sensitive subject: Toothache is counted among the most unpleasant bodily sensations.
How does a toothache develop?
Teeth have strong and very sensitive nerve endings inside them, which are normally excellently protected by the hard and insensitive tooth exterior. These nerve fibers transmit all sensations to the nearby brain via the tripartite facial nerve, the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve also contains nerve endings responsible for the masticatory muscles and the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose. Thus, pain in one tooth can easily radiate to the surrounding area. When the outside of the tooth, the hard enamel, is damaged by injury, bacteria, pressure, or chemicals, the nerve fibers become irritated, and probing, dull, stabbing, or throbbing pain results – with the character of the pain varying depending on the cause.
First signs and consequences of toothache
The pain often radiates into the upper or lower jaw, may travel up toward the temples, and may appear as a headache. The pain often leads to massive health impairment and is not tolerated by the sufferer for long: Fortunately, this is because inflammation is often to blame for the pain, and it can quickly spread through the bloodstream toward the brain. In most cases, severe toothache is preceded by a phase in which a single tooth is particularly sensitive, such as to
- Cold
- Heat
- Pressure or
- Sweet
You should always interpret these signs as a warning signal that the enamel of your teeth is under attack and you should urgently do something for your teeth.
What are the causes of toothache?
Besides missing or attacked enamel, the most common cause of toothache is tooth decay. Dental caries is the most common disease of mankind, and it is even contagious under certain circumstances. Caries affects the tooth tissues enamel and dentin – holes are formed. For caries to develop, various factors must interact: for example, plaque made up of bacteria and sugary nutrients forms to varying degrees depending on how the teeth are brushed, and the saliva composition and structure of the teeth also play an important role. If a cavity is left untreated (because it does not cause pain at first), it can expand and attack the inside of the tooth, the dental pulp, where the supply structures of the tooth, i.e. nerves and blood vessels, run.
Pulpitis and apical ostitis.
Pulpitis, or inflammation of the pulp, can have other causes besides tooth decay, such as thermal or chemical irritation from extensive tooth repair treatment. It can be extremely painful, but it can also be painless and heal spontaneously when the original irritation is extinguished. When it progresses to apical ostitis, the inflammation spreads through the interior of the tooth to the roots, causing tooth tissue death.
Toothache: periodontitis as a cause
In addition to a caries disease and its consequences, pain also occurs with periodontitis – an inflammation of the periodontium, namely the gums. Burning pain is common with milder inflammation of the gums, while pronounced periodontitis, insidiously, is often painless: only the apparent lengthening of the necks of the teeth indicates that the gums are receding.
Growth problems and malocclusions
In babies, toothache occurs as teething discomfort when teeth erupt from the gums – in adults, the same discomfort is observed when wisdom teeth come through. In children, toothache can also indicate a misalignment of the teeth or incorrectly adjusted braces. However, misalignments of the temporomandibular joint can also cause pronounced toothache. Such misalignments often manifest themselves in the form of nightly teeth grinding, although the person affected is not necessarily aware of this. However, after waking up he often notices that his chewing muscles are tense and his teeth hurt. By the way, stress-related teeth grinding can lead to jaw misalignment, and vice versa, jaw misalignment can be to blame for teeth grinding!
Atypical toothache
As a further category dentists know so-called atypical toothache, in which the sometimes severe pain can not be assigned to a particular tooth and its surroundings. The pain sometimes lasts for a long time and can also always occur in a different place.
Toothache as a result of other diseases
In addition, diseases of other body regions can also trigger pain in the teeth. Thus, middle ear or sinusitis can radiate into the mouth, severe headaches such as migraine can also lead to toothache and even a narrowing of the coronary arteries (angina pectoris) or a heart attack can become noticeable through toothache alone.
