Causes of Toothache

Toothache" is pain around the teeth or jaws. Toothaches are caused by tooth or jaw problems, such as a dental cavity, a cracked tooth, an exposed tooth root, gum disease, disease of the jaw joint (temporo- mandibular joint), or spasms of the muscles used for chewing. The pain can be mild to sever The pain may be aggravated by chewing or by cold or heat.


Pain around the teeth and the jaws can be symptoms of diseases of the heart (such as angina or heart attack), ears (such as inner or external ear infections), and sinuses (air passages of the cheek bones). For example, the pain of angina is usually located in the chest or the arm. Infections and diseases of the ears and sinuses can also cause pain around the teeth and jaws. Therefore, evaluations by both dentists and doctors are sometimes necessary to diagnose medical illnesses causing "toothache."


Causes of Toothache

• dental caries
• dental abscess
• gum disease
• irritation of the tooth root
• cracked tooth syndrome
• temporomandibular disease
• impaction, and eruption.

Cracked Tooth syndrome: It id refers to toothache caused by a broken tooth or tooth fracture. Biting on the area of tooth fracture can cause severe sharp pains. These fractures are usually due to chewing or biting hard objects.

Dental caries: it is most common form of toothache. Dental caries(cavity) is define as irreversible microbial disease of hard tissue of tooth causing dismeneralization of the inorganic substance and destruction of the organic substance resulting into cavity formation. Certain bacteria in the mouth convert simple sugars into acid. The acid softens and (along with saliva) dissolves the enamel and dentin, creating cavities. Small shallow cavities may not cause pain and may be unnoticed by the patient. The larger deeper cavities can collect food debris. The inner living pulp of the affected tooth can become irritated by bacterial toxins or by foods that are cold, hot, sour, or sweet-causing toothache.

Gum disease: it is refer to inflammation of the gingiva and abnormal loss of bone that surrounds the teeth.Gum disease is caused by toxins secreted by bacteria in "plaque" that accumulate over time along the gum line. This plaque is a mixture of food, saliva, and bacteria. Early symptoms of gum disease include gum bleeding without pain. Pain is a symptom of more advanced gum disease as the loss of bone around the teeth leads to the formation of gum pockets. Bacteria in these pockets cause gum infection, swelling, pain, and further bone destruction. Advanced gum disease can cause loss of otherwise healthy teeth.

Tooth Root Sensitivities : The bacterial toxins dissolve the bone around the roots and cause the gum and the bone to recede, exposing the roots. The exposed roots can become sensitive to cold, hot, and sour foods because they are no longer protected by healthy gum and bone. The sensitivities may be so severe that the patient avoids any cold or sour foods.

Impaction & Eruption:Impacted (teeth pressing together) or erupting (tooth growing out or "cutting") molar teeth (the large teeth in the back of the jaw) can cause pain. As the molar teeth erupt, the nearby tissues can become inflamed and swollen

Temporo-Mandibular Joint Syndrome: Pain in the temporo-mandibular joints can be caused by acute trauma (such as a blow to the face), inflammatory or degenerative arthritis or by the mandible being pushed back towards the ears whenever the patient chews or swallows. Sometimes, muscles around the TMJ used for chewing can go into spasm, causing head and neck pain and difficulty opening mouth normally. These muscle spasms are aggravated by chewing or by life "stress," which cause the patients to clench their teeth and further tighten these muscles.