Dental Pain Causes
Causes of dental pain
Dental pain can be caused by pathological conditions, underlying disease processes, and/or their treatment.1 These can range from dental procedures to dental caries.
Understanding the cause of dental pain can help you accurately treat your patients’ symptoms. Ongoing dental pain should be identified as soon as possible as it can lead to more serious dental problems in the future. You will likely be able to diagnose the exact cause based on medical history, a dental exam, and if needed, an X-ray.
Help your patients take charge of dental pain. Learn more about dental pain signs and symptoms and management
What causes dental pain?
-
Dental procedures
Postoperative dental pain can range from mild to severe. Some of the most common procedures are tooth extraction, dental bone grafts, dental implants, and periodontal surgery.2
-
Dental cleanings
Pain and sensitivity can occur when dental cleaning is performed on teeth with exposed dentin or tooth roots. Before a deep cleaning session, the gums may be inflamed and swollen or have deep pockets infected with bacteria. Deep cleaning, such as periodontal scaling or root planing, can cause pain and sensitivity that lasts up to a week after the cleaning.3
-
Dentin hypersensitivity
Dentin hypersensitivity is a common dental problem that may worsen over time. It’s often prevalent in patients 20 to 50 years old.4 When tubules found within dentin become exposed, stimuli such as hot or cold beverages can induce the movement of fluid within the tubules, triggering nerves in the pulp. The short, sharp pain that patients feel when eating or drinking may be caused by these triggers if patients have dentin hypersensitivity.
Exposed dental tubules often occur due to gingival recession caused by periodontal diseases or dental wear like enamel erosion, abrasion, attrition, or abfraction.
-
Dental caries
Dental caries (cavities) are the primary cause of dental pain in both children and adults, and more than 1 in 4 adults have some form of untreated tooth decay.5 Dental caries can cause continuous pain or occasional sharp pain. They can also cause dentin hypersensitivity when eating or drinking something hot or cold. If left untreated, they can get larger and affect deeper layers of the tooth, leading to severe toothache, infection, and tooth loss.5
Advil is the #1 dentist-recommended OTC pain reliever
Advil’s proven efficacy and safety profile
See why Advil is the #1 NSAID brand preferred by patients.
Discover Advil Dual Action
Learn how Advil Dual Action combines 2 distinct mechanisms of action (MOA) to fight dental pain in 2 ways.
Patient Resources
Access resources designed to help your patients as they navigate their pain symptoms.
