Tooth pain is one of the most common dental health concerns, but it isn’t always something to worry about. You should always be conscious of your oral health because the mouth is a window to the rest of your body. It’s particularly important to be aware of your children’s oral health because kids are really prone to cavities. When a child gets a cavity, it can lead to them needing an extraction, which means a trip to the emergency room is on the cards. Obviously, you don’t want this, so you need to know when to see your dentist before it is too late.
Regarding tooth pain, there are many reasons you or your children might experience it. However, you shouldn’t worry about it unless any of the following situations occur:
The pain lasts for more than a couple of days
You can have a toothache that lasts for a few hours or a day but gradually fades away. Sometimes, it’s not even a proper toothache, but the pain from elsewhere feels like it’s in your mouth. For instance, if you sleep on your side, you may get a pain in your jaw joint the following day that feels like a toothache. But, it goes away and there’s nothing to worry about.
If your tooth is painful for more than a couple of days, then you should consider a trip to the local dentist office. The chances are you have a cavity, and your dentist can sort this out before it gets worse and causes even more pain.
Your tooth hurts when you touch it
If you prod your tooth with your finger, and you get a sharp pain in your mouth, there is definitely something wrong. Again, cavities are usually the main problem, so you should see your dentist as soon as possible.
This means that you should be worried even if the pain has been around for less than a couple of days. Usually, if a tooth hurts when it is touched, there is an issue with it. Even when you start to develop cavities, your teeth won’t hurt when touched. This could signal an issue with the nerve endings, which might mean a root canal is necessary. Regardless, you should see the dentist to get a proper diagnosis right away.
You have a bad taste in your mouth
Let’s say you have a sore tooth from grinding your teeth or biting down on something really hard. In these cases, you will experience pain for a day or two, but it will decrease and fade away. There will also be no other symptoms present, meaning there’s nothing for you to worry about.
On the other hand, if you have a sore tooth because you have cavities or an infection, you are going to see other symptoms. A common one is to experience bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth. Usually, this is because your afflicted tooth is literally decaying. You might even taste discharge from the tooth, which is pretty gross!
Again, if you notice these signs, you should be concerned. Regardless of how much time has passed, contact your dentist because it is likely there’s a deeper problem here.
Your face is swollen
To reiterate the previous point, trivial toothaches don’t cause extra symptoms. They give you a pain in your mouth that can be contained. This pain goes away when you use painkillers, and you see nothing else that indicates there’s a more serious problem at play.
But, if your face and jaw are swollen/red, that’s something to worry about. It’s another instance of your toothache causing additional symptoms. As mentioned before, this is usually another sign of some type of infection. Or, if you received trauma to your face/mouth, it could be a reaction to that. Either way, swelling is not normal and should be looked at immediately!
When shouldn’t you be worried about tooth pain?
If any of the above instances occur, you should be worried about tooth pain. Don’t worry, you can see your dentist and get a diagnosis as quickly as possible. Hopefully, there’s just a minor problem that can be fixed pretty quickly.
With that in mind, when shouldn’t you be worried about tooth pain?
Typically, you shouldn’t be concerned if the pain doesn’t lead to other symptoms and goes away with some treatment. Perhaps you use painkillers that deal with the pain and it never returns. Or, a day after the pain begins, it already feels like it’s fading away, and it is gone by the end of the second day.
Most of the time, a toothache is nothing to worry about. But, when it is a concern, you need to know when to act fast! Otherwise, you might find yourself getting dental implants in Ballantyne due to severely damaged teeth.
