Dentist talks about the five main causes of toothache 02:57

The most common opinion about the causes of toothache is that it is caused by caries. But there is a nuance here: neither the enamel nor the dentin of the tooth has nerve endings and therefore cannot cause harm. Magomed Dakhkilgov, chief physician of the German Center for Implantology, candidate of medical sciences, implant surgeon, orthopedist, periodontist dentist, told socialbites.ca.

“In fact, this is one of the reasons why patients cannot notice cavities in places that are difficult to see in the mirror for a long time, and even refuse to go to the dentist. Because they think that if the tooth does not hurt, nothing bad will happen to them. Therein lies the mistake. Pain during caries occurs when the lesion covers the hard tissues of the enamel and reaches the dentin, which is already close to the pulp. This is how tooth sensitivity occurs, to temperature stimuli, sweets, sours, etc. reactions occur. The deeper the space, the sharper the sensation. This is the first cause of toothache,” explained dentist Dakhkilgov.

Additionally, each tooth has a pulp chamber – the same pulp in which the neurovascular bundle is located. In order for the tooth to maintain its strength, it is necessary to nourish the tooth with essential microelements. If the inflammatory process caused by caries reaches the pulp and covers the nerve, severe toothache occurs. The same thing can happen if the tooth is injured as a result of an infection entering the pulp through a broken crown or root. This is the second cause of pain.

“In a healthy state, the tooth is surrounded by pink gums; red or pale, swollen, bleeding in inflammatory diseases – gingivitis, periodontitis, injuries. There are nerve endings in the gums, so even microtraumas (for example, from stuck food) can cause pain. “This is the third reason,” said the doctor.

The fourth reason is inflammation of the periodontal tissues, whose function is to fix the tooth in the socket. The dentist emphasized that inflammatory processes caused by infections not only destroy the periodontium, which threatens tooth loss in the long term, but also cause pain, since periodontal tissues contain nerve endings.
“The fifth reason is inflammatory processes in the periodontium, which is the connective tissue between the tooth root and bone. alveolar ridge where all the sockets of the teeth are located. With severe periodontitis, aching pain occurs. “The pain of periodontitis can be quite sharp and can get worse when you press on the tooth,” he added.

The doctor noted that due to the nature of the pain, it is impossible to determine the cause on your own.

“The main part of the dental structures is hidden from the eyes, and they can only be studied with instrumental studies. In addition, pain can radiate – the patient may feel pain in the 14th tooth, whereas in fact the 15th tooth is affected. It is also worth mentioning diseases of the temporomandibular joints, trigeminal nerve and ENT organs. Also radiating to the teeth “They can also cause pain, and sometimes the patient feels as if half of his jaw hurts. It is better to consult a doctor to identify and eliminate the root cause,” concluded the expert.

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