Tooth pain can bring your life to a halt. Knowing the cause of the pain is the first step to fixing it. Are you experiencing any of these five common causes of tooth pain?

A Cavity

At first, cavities might not cause any symptoms, but they can eventually lead to a toothache, especially if the cavity gets large and close to the nerves inside the teeth. Severe cavities typically cause sharp pain that's bad enough to wake you up when you're asleep, and the pain often gets worse when you lie down. In addition to limiting foods high in sugar and starches, you can help prevent cavities by: brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, regularly flossing your teeth, not using tobacco products, and seeing a dentist at least twice a year for regular cleanings and checkups.

A Tooth Injury

Sometimes toothaches come from trauma or injury that you might not think twice about. An example might be a fender bender that made you slam your upper teeth against your lower teeth. In other cases, you might have tooth pain from wear and tear or injury to ligaments that cushion your jaw when you chew.

A Filling Fell Out

A cavity filling can fall out if too much force is applied to the area or the material breaks down. Decay around or under a filling can also cause breakage. Some patients may not even feel something missing until they bite down.

An Erupting Wisdom Tooth

Sometimes you may only feel mild discomfort when wisdom teeth are in the process of appearing—typically between the ages of 17 and 25, but sometimes much later. At other times, you might feel more intense pain. That happens when wisdom teeth are trying to emerge from your gums in an awkward position or without enough space.

TMJ

TMJ stands for the temporomandibular joint, which connects the side of your head and your jaw and allows you to yawn, chew, and talk. Dysfunction or disorder of the joint, called TMD (or sometimes also TMJ), can lead to jaw pain that feels very much like a toothache. One telltale sign of TMJ disorders or TMD is a clicking or popping noise when a person tries to open their mouth.

Schedule a Visit to the Dentist

Are you experiencing tooth pain? Get back to a pain-free life by scheduling an appointment today.