When you bite or chew down on food, does your tooth hurt? There are many reasons for this, but it is crucial that you understand the warning signs early to get treatment to catch it early. One thing is for sure, it must not be ignored regardless of whether the pain is mild or severe.
If your tooth hurts when biting, it could be down to one or more of the following factors:
A Large Cavity Has Formed
A large cavity is a hole that’s formed at the tooth root owing to tooth decay. Cavities can naturally cause severe pain when eating and drinking. Food can also become stuck which can increase the hole and expose your gums and the underlying tooth nerve to irritation and infection. This is what’s known as gum disease.
A Tooth Has Cracked
A tooth can become fractured when biting as well. It is a challenging condition to diagnose because you’re naturally unsure of the cause of it. Certain solids can cause a tooth to crack such as candy, nuts, bars and hard bread. A check-up from the dentist will help determine what the symptoms are through X-rays.
Periodontal Disease
As mentioned, the gums are under threat if your tooth hurts when biting. Your gums can become swollen owing to irritation because bacteria will likely have trickled down to your gums past your teeth. This may also occur if you have large gaps in between teeth.
Pain From A Filling Or Crown
Where a filling or a crown is sitting too high, this can also cause pain when biting down. This is naturally felt shortly after treatment once the local anesthesia you’ve been given wears off. Any ‘high’ sitting or a filling or crown will cause extra pressure on the tooth when biting down. The dentist will consider adjusting your bite accordingly so that your lower and upper teeth bite down correctly without exerting any pressure.
Dental Abscess
A dental abscess is a collection of pus that forms in and around your teeth, gums, and bone because of a bacterial infection. This typically results from a large cavity and decay, and the swelling that’s caused puts pressure against the tooth which causes the pain when you bite down. A root canal would be considered the most viable form of treatment.
Nasal Congestion
When you bite down and experience tooth pain, this could likely be due to an inflamed sinus. Nasal congestion is a stuffy nose that occurs when the adjacent tissue and vessels are swollen. The most sensitive teeth to this are the molars when this occurs.
What Should I Do Next If My Tooth Hurts When Biting?
Do not ignore any signs of tooth pain when biting. It is something that may go away over time, but that doesn’t mean the root cause of the problem has been resolved. This means it could be potentially something serious that needs a dental check-up. Therefore, you can consult our experienced dentist in Parkdale at soonest when your tooth hurts when biting so it can be treated quickly.