5 Facts On Understanding Dental Pain

Updated: September 3rd, 2018 12pm

By Emergency Raleigh Dentist Dr. Thomas Cook

It is not uncommon for many people to experience a dental emergency at some point. Taking ibuprofen as a a pain relief medication is at the top of most lists to aid in immediate relief OF DENTAL PAIN. Seeking out an emergency Raleigh dentist for proper diagnosis and treatment is the next best step to achieving health again. Here are some important facts to understand why tooth pain occurs.

For any dental emergency call Dr Thomas Cooke DDS

*Nerve Decay

Decay to the nerve inside the tooth is very common. Because tooth decay commonly starts out as a silent problem, many decayed teeth are not diagnosed until pain occurs and at this point a filling may not be the answer to your tooth pain. A root canal or removal of the tooth is most likely what you will need at this point. This is why people should see a dentist yearly for a checkup. Silent problems that are detected early can be corrected with much less cost.

*Trauma to teeth

Trauma to a tooth from a sport injury or just simply falling and hitting your mouth may cause the nerve inside the tooth to die at some later time. When the nerve dies from trauma, inflammation sets in and severe pain results. This sometimes takes up to 6 months or longer to express itself as a painful dead tooth nerve. Seeing your dentist soon after trauma to the mouth occurs is very important.

*Fractures

Teeth may fracture from many things. One thing to be aware of is that chewing ice fractures teeth. A small fracture that initially occurs may not be visible on an xray.This small fracture may not initially cause pain but eventually, chewing pressure will cause the fracture to get larger and pain results. This small fracture that causes pain, if detected early can be treated correctly with a crown. If left for a period of time the fracture could cause nerve damage and result in the need for a root canal (www.Thomasecookedds.com) and a crown or possibly tooth loss.

*Swollen tissue

Biting your lip, cheek, or tongue can be very painful. If this occurs, reinjuring the area is very likely to occur because this tissue gets swollen and could lead to gum disease (www.Thomasecookedds.com). Keeping the area clean and rinsing with warm salt water is helpful. Following up with a dentist is very important to make sure these areas heal properly.
*Trapped food

Trapped food like popcorn kernels or a piece of meat is very common. This can be very annoying. Seeing a dentist soon after this happens can prevent a gum problem that could result in a bad infection and possibly bone loss.