Patient Education


Tooth Sensitivity

Common Causes:

• Carious (decayed) tooth
• Abscessed tooth
• Traumatic tooth
• Tooth fracture
• A damaged filling
• Infected gums

Tooth pain can be sharp, throbbing, or constant depending upon the problem; some times can be associated with biting only. Dental pain can also be associated with swelling around the tooth (tooth abscess), fever or headache or foul-tasting drainage from the infected tooth.

A toothache that is severe and continuous with throbbing sharp or shooting pain is common symptoms of an abscessed tooth. Other symptoms may include any or all of the following:

• Fever
• Pain when chewing
• Sensitivity of the teeth to hot or cold
• Bitter taste in the mouth
• Foul smell to the breath
• Swollen neck glands
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
• Redness and swelling of the gums
• Swollen area in the upper or lower jaw
• An open, draining sore on the side of the gum

Immediate attention should be given to see a dentist for proper identification and treatment of dental infections is important to prevent its spread to other parts of the face and skull and possibly even to the bloodstream.

Line of treatment:

You should tell your medical history (if relevant) to the concerned dentist before to start any dental procedure.

Be prepared to give answer of some questions like when the pain started, how severe it is, where the pain is located, what makes the pain worse, and what makes it better.

Sometimes X-rays may be taken to evaluate further.

Treatment options:

Treatment depends on the cause of your toothache. Can be simple filling, scaling and root planning, curettage or RCT. Some medicines can be prescribed.

For tooth abscess: abscess can be drained through the tooth by a procedure known as a root canal. The tooth may also be extracted if prognosis is hopeless, allowing drainage through the socket. Drainage can be facilitated through a incision into the swollen gum tissue. Antibiotics may be prescribed to help check the infection.