Does your tooth hurt every time you bite down or exert pressure on it? If that is the case, this guide is for you.
Your tooth can hurt when you chew because of several reasons. Knowing the warning signs and causes behind toothache can give you the advantage to treat and preserve your tooth on time. Usually, our Pearl Shine dentists advise that the dull tooth pain you experience after biting or chewing comes down to one of nine different oral problems.
If your tooth hurts when you eat or bite, it’s possibly because of one of these reasons:
1 The Tooth or Filling Hits Harder Than Others
In a dental context, occlusion means the contact between your teeth. In other words, occlusion can describe the way your teeth bite together. Ideally, the pressure your mouth exerts while biting down should be distributed evenly. This means that no specific tooth or filling is bearing excessive force than it should. This can only be achieved when your lower and upper teeth occlude correctly.
However, if your tooth or filling is not appropriately occluded, you can feel pain as you chew. Most people begin to notice tooth pain right after their dental treatment is done and the sedatives wear off. Not only this, the tooth sitting higher than others also causes pain in the opposite tooth. This is because of the extra pressure that the tooth exerts on the other tooth upon contact.
If this is the case for you, visit Pearl Shine Dental for a dental check-up. Our dentists will measure and evaluate your bite by using special marking paper. We will then note down the areas that sit higher than others. After that, we will help adjust your bite. This way, we can help take off that extra pressure so that your teeth won’t hurt when you eat.
2 Large Cavity in a Tooth
Are you suffering from toothache or teeth sensitivity after eating? You may feel tooth pain after consuming certain types of food. This can be due to tooth decay or cavity. A cavity can cause teeth sensitivity for most people. Moreover, it is possible to feel lingering tooth pain when you consume sweets. Sometimes, food can get stuck in large cavities, which exert extra pressure and often result in tooth pain.
Additionally, a cavity filling can also fall out when you apply too much pressure on the area. And so, the food you eat will start sticking into that area. Thus, causing tooth pain and sensitivity when you bite down or touch it.
Also, you can feel a severe aching of teeth each time you chew or bite down food because of advanced tooth decay. It can also cause irritation in your tooth’s nerve. However, not all cavities hurt. If you feel a strange sensation or a rough edge while you bite down, make sure to schedule a dental exam with our dentist. At Pearl Shine Dental, our dentist will evaluate your condition and help prevent further tooth decay.
3 Dental Abscess
Another reason can be an infection called a dental abscess. It can hurt your tooth when you bite down. An abscess is a painful buildup of pus, often caused by bacterial infection. This pus or swelling inside your tooth or gum exerts pressure on your tooth. Thus, it causes pain while you chew or apply pressure on it.
The pain you feel when you have a dental abscess is often in intervals. That means it can come and go. Sometimes you will feel worse. Other times it goes unnoticed. Small pimples on your gums also appear near the affected tooth. You can also feel a salty taste because of the puss leaking out of the area. If left untreated, this infection can become severe and spread to your jaw and other parts of your body. However, you can get rid of tooth pain when biting with a root canal treatment. Our dentist can help eliminate severe toothache by performing a root canal treatment. If you are suffering from an oral infection and looking for an affordable root canal treatment, book an appointment with Pearl Shine Dental.
4 Cracked Tooth
Diagnosing a cracked tooth is often one of the most challenging tasks. More than half of the time, a cracked tooth shows no sign other than sudden tooth pain when you bite down. When your tooth hurts after eating, the first thing you should do is locate the area from where it’s coming from. Then you should visit our dentists. We will help determine a fractured root by using a special bite stick. This stick indicates tooth pain at specific points once you apply pressure.
Furthermore, dental x-rays are also helpful in identifying severe fractures. However, hairline fractures are often undetected. To determine hairline tooth cracks, special diagnostic tests are used. Treating a cracked tooth on time is necessary. If left untreated, bacteria can likely seep into the gap and can possibly cause tooth decay.
5 Gum Disease
Sometimes, your tooth may hurt when you bite down because of underlying gum disease. Periodontal disease is often caused by inadequate oral hygiene. When you notice sore teeth, visit your dentist for a dental exam. During which, we will measure your teeth’ attachment levels. Gum disease can loosen your teeth. And based on the severity of tissue detachment, conditions like bleeding, swollen gums, or exposed tooth roots can occur. Patients also experience teeth sensitivity, tartar buildup, spaces between the teeth, and mobility when they suffer from gum disease.
You might also be interested to know more about: How to prevent and treat gum disease?”
6 Wisdom Teeth Emerging
Another cause of toothache while eating is the abnormal growth of your wisdom teeth. Since wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth to grow, they often grow in an awkward position or without enough space. This causes intense molar tooth pain, especially when you chew or bite down. In most cases, patients benefit from wisdom teeth removal. In other cases, removing your third molars may be unnecessary or risky. So if your wisdom teeth are causing pain, visit your dentist. Your dentist will help ease your toothache by doing the necessary treatment based on your unique condition. You can also use ibuprofen in the meantime to relieve teeth pain.
7 Congestion or Sinus Pressure
Not every time your tooth hurts means there is a dental problem. Since your teeth’ roots are close to your nasal sinuses, you can feel tooth pain because of inflamed sinuses. The most sensitive teeth are your molar or premolars. That is why inflamed sinuses cause pain in your upper teeth. In fact, back tooth pain is a common symptom of sinus conditions. So if you feel persistent pain in your back teeth, consult your dentist for an exam.
8 Root Exposure and Gum Recession
Although gum recession doesn’t always cause tooth pain when chewing, it can cause extreme sensitivity in your tooth when applying pressure to the exposed root. In most cases, patients feel sharp, throbbing tooth pain when they’re eating or drinking. This is due to food getting stuck in your root surface. Several factors can cause gum recessions, including forceful tooth brushing, teeth grinding, gum disease, or trauma.
Trauma or an injury can happen no matter how much you try to avoid it. In case your teeth fell out, visit the emergency dentist at Pearl Shine Dental. In the meantime, you should know what precautions you need to take to save your original tooth. Check our guide, “My tooth fell out! What do I do?”
9 Oral Habits like Teeth Grinding and Clenching
Some oral habits like teeth grinding and jaw clenching can put extra pressure on your teeth. This can cause tooth pain or fracture. Some people don’t even realize that they grind their teeth while sleeping. Likewise, jaw clenching can be a natural response to stress for some people. Luckily, dentists know how to teach patients relaxing techniques. Wearing a mouthguard is also helpful to save your teeth. So how to tell whether tooth pain when I bite down is caused by teeth grinding? Toothache from clenching or grinding usually hurts all of one side of your jaw – if not all over. So if you feel tooth pain in a specific tooth, it could be due to some other reason.
Act Promptly When Your Tooth Hurts
Unlike other types of body pain, tooth pain doesn’t really go away on its own. You cannot remedy it simply by resting more or taking over-the-counter pain relievers. Your tooth hurts because there is an underlying dental condition that needs to be addressed. So if you are feeling a toothache when you bite down, don’t ignore them. Visit Pearl Shine Dental. Our dentists will help assess your dental condition and present you with the best solution. We are here to provide the best care for your smile and help keep it healthy for a lifetime. Call us at 281-477-7200 and schedule an examination and consultation with our Houston, TX Dental Office.