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What your tooth pain can mean

The way a tooth hurts can point to the cause. A lingering ache, a sharp pain when you bite and a steady throb can each be a sign of something different, and some need care sooner than others.

Call (270) 904-4404 What to do in a dental emergency
A treatment room with the patient chair beneath a ceiling-mounted surgical microscope

Trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading toward your eye or neck, or a serious injury to the face? Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

When hot, cold or biting sets it off

  • Sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers

    What it can mean. A quick twinge that fades in a moment is usually nothing serious. Pain that lingers after the hot or cold is gone, often for more than 30 seconds, can be a sign that deep decay or an injury has damaged the pulp, the soft tissue inside the tooth.

    What to do. For a brief twinge, try a toothpaste made for sensitive teeth and a soft toothbrush, and see your dentist if it keeps happening. For pain that lingers, call us or your dentist as soon as you can. Root canal treatment can save the tooth.

    How root canal treatment works

  • Sharp pain when you bite down or let go

    What it can mean. Sharp pain when you bite can be a sign of decay, a loose filling or a crack in the tooth. Pain that comes and goes as you chew, especially as you release your bite, can be a sign of a cracked tooth.

    What to do. Have the tooth checked soon, by your dentist or by us. Until then, chew on the other side.

    How a cracked tooth is treated

  • Pain after a new filling or crown

    What it can mean. New dental work can irritate the pulp inside the tooth, and some sensitivity to hot and cold for a while afterward can be temporary.

    What to do. Give it two to four weeks. If the pain lasts longer or gets worse, see your dentist or call us.

    When a tooth needs root canal treatment

The hallway to the treatment rooms, lined with Dr. Brasseale's framed Indiana University diplomas and Kentucky Board of Dentistry licenses

When it throbs, swells or changes color

  • Constant or throbbing pain, or pain that keeps you awake

    What it can mean. Severe pain that starts on its own, throbs or keeps you from sleeping can be a sign that the pulp is badly inflamed or infected. Constant pain with pressure, and a tooth that is tender to touch, can be a sign of an abscess: an infection that reaches the tissue and bone around the root.

    What to do. Call us. If you are in pain or have an emergency, we make every attempt to see you the same day. Until you're seen, an over-the-counter pain reliever, taken as the label directs, can help.

    What to do until you see usAbout root canal treatment

  • Swelling in your gum or face

    What it can mean. A swollen or tender gum, or a small bump like a pimple on the gum near a tooth, can be a sign of an abscess. Swelling in your jaw or face is more serious, because an infection that is not treated can spread.

    What to do. Call us today, and hold a cold compress against the outside of your cheek. If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading toward your eye or down your neck, or a high fever with the swelling, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

    What to do in a dental emergency

  • A tooth that has turned darker

    What it can mean. A tooth that darkens can be a sign that the pulp inside is damaged and the tooth needs root canal treatment. An injury can damage the pulp even when the tooth shows no chip or crack.

    What to do. Have it checked by your dentist or by us, even if it doesn't hurt.

    How root canal treatment saves a tooth

If a tooth that had a root canal starts to hurt

What it can mean. A tooth with root canal treatment can last as long as your other natural teeth. Sometimes, though, a treated tooth doesn't heal as expected, or becomes painful months or even years later. New decay, or a loose, cracked or broken crown or filling, can let bacteria back into the tooth.

What to do. Call us. The tooth can often still be saved. Retreatment gives it a second chance, and endodontic surgery is another option when infection stays around the end of the root.

How endodontic retreatment works How endodontic surgery works

We find the cause first

At your visit, an assistant takes x-rays, then Dr. Brasseale tests the tooth that hurts and the teeth beside it. He explains his diagnosis, your options, and the benefits and risks of each, so you can make the choice that's right for you.

Call us at (270) 904-4404. If you are in pain or have an emergency, we make every attempt to see you the same day.

What happens at your first visit

Sources

  1. American Association of Endodontists: Tooth pain
  2. American Association of Endodontists: Cracked teeth
  3. American Association of Endodontists: Root canal explained
  4. American Association of Endodontists: Endodontic retreatment
  5. American Association of Endodontists: Other endodontic treatment options
  6. American Association of Endodontists: Post treatment care
  7. American Association of Endodontists and European Society of Endodontology: Pulpal and pulp space diagnoses (PDF)
  8. MedlinePlus (NIH): Tooth abscess
  9. MedlinePlus (NIH): Ludwig angina, an infection of the floor of the mouth
  10. MedlinePlus (NIH): Over-the-counter medicines
  11. American Dental Association, MouthHealthy: Dental emergencies
  12. NHS: Toothache

Tell us where it hurts

Call us and tell us what you're feeling and when it started. If you are in pain or have an emergency, we make every attempt to see you the same day.

Request an appointment (270) 904-4404

901 Wilkinson Trace, Suite 2, Bowling Green
Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm