Why does a tooth hurt?

Unfortunately toothache is familiar to many people. It causes both discomfort and difficulties in ingestion. What causes toothache? What provokes this problem?

As a rule there are four reasons which cause toothache: caries of teeth, inflammation of a tooth nerve, inflammation of a tooth root or inflammation of gums.

CARIES OF TEETH

Caries is not only a cavity in a tooth, it is an illness which is caused by the microorganisms living in a mouth. They produce acid, which destroys tooth tissue (enamel, dentine), and caries can begin at an early age when the child is teething. Generally parents infect their child cleaning a pacifier by their mouth, feeding with a spoon which use themselves.

Carbohydrates play not a small role in appearance of caries, they represent food from which microorganisms produce acid during their vital functions. It means, than the more a man uses carbohydrate food and the less he/she brushes the teeth, the quicker caries appears.

INFLAMMATION OF THE TOOTH NERVE

The inflammation of a neurovascular bunch (or tooth nerve) begins, generally when caries was not treated. A small cavity turns into a big one through which the microorganisms penetrate to "a tooth nerve" causing the inflammation. Such inflammation can proceed acutely (with severe pain) or chronically (usually the tooth doesn't distress).

INFLAMMATION OF A TOOTH ROOT

If symptoms weren't revealed during an inflammation of "a tooth nerve", and a tooth wasn't treated, tissues of a neurovascular bunch die off, and microbes get through a root hole in a bone tissue around tooth. Tissues near a root apex become inflamed, -inflammation can proceed acutely (with pain) or chronically (without visible symptoms).

If tooth aches, hurts while biting or pressing on, the reason can be the acute inflammation in and around of a root apex. At the first onset, pain is constant, and problem tooth can be defined exactly. At aggravation of the inflammation pain becomes stronger and can extend on the area of the neighbouring teeth. Gum near problem tooth swells up, there can be reddening. There also can be formed suppurative focuses (abscesses) on the gum.

Thus the general health can worsen, temperature can raise.

The chronic inflammation in the area of a root apex can proceed without perceptible symptoms. As a rule such inflammation doesn't cause pain. In some cases a fistula can be formed in the field of a root apex from which pus exudes. You can learn about such inflammation on visible changes in an x-ray picture. A patient must take treatment in spite of the fact if the tooth hurts or doesn't. Existence of the constant center of an inflammation is especially dangerous to the people who have chronic diseases (including cardiovascular diseases).

INFLAMMATION OF GUMS

Sometimes the reason of pain can be inflammation of gums. The microorganisms which are in a dental deposit irritate gums, cause inflammation, reddening, bleeding, itch and pain. It is connected with poor oral hygiene.

It should be noted that there are diseases, which pain may be improperly taken for the dental. Anyway only the doctor can make the exact diagnosis. We remind our readers that in order to avoid problems it is necessary to visit the dentist regularly to control a state of an oral cavity.

Irina Viktorovna Valakhanovich

The head of the therapeutic department № 2 JSC "9th dental clinic