As your Local Redcliffe Dentists at John Street Dental know, tooth pain should never be ignored.

It is almost certainly a symptom of a problem requiring professional treatment.  Tooth pain is usually due to the nerve being exposed due to damage to the tooth or to inflammation
or infection.

Tooth damage can be caused by:

• Dental Decay
• A cracked tooth, which can be invisible to the naked eye
• An exposed root, due either to the gums receding or damage from brushing too hard.

Inflammation may be an after-effect of dental treatment or it may be a warning sign of infection.
The symptoms include:

• Sensitivity to hot and cold drinks
• Pain when biting or chewing
• Swelling of the gum around the affected tooth
• Facial Swelling
• bad breath
• Throbbing pain the jawbone, ear or neck
• Pain that worsens when you lie down
• Fever
• Unpleasant taste in mouth

Some of the causes of infected dental pulp are:

• Untreated decay
• Decay beneath a deep filling
• Trauma that damages the tooth
• Teeth Grinding
• Advanced Gum Disease

If the pulp of the tooth is infected, root canal therapy will be needed.  This is where the pulp of the
tooth is replaced with a filling.   In most cases this does not affect the tooths health or functionality.

In other circumstances, extraction may be the only option.

So, what happens if a toothache isn’t treated?

If your tooth becomes infected and isn’t treated, the infection could spread to other places in your body.  This could potentially become life threatening.

Symptoms of this infection include:

• Fever
• Facial Swelling
• Dehydration
• Stomach pain
• Heart racing
• Breathing rate increase

You should seek medical help immediately if you have any of these symptoms.

The good news is you can prevent the more serious causes of tooth pain by having regular dental check ups and xrays.

Call your friendly Local Redcliffe Dentists at John Street Dental today on 3284 4281 for an appointment or Book Online