Your student guide to dental pain
Dental pain: Overview
Dental pain can affect your patients' quality of life and overall health, making daily actions like chewing, biting, talking, or sleeping more difficult. More than 40% of adults reported feeling pain in their mouths in the past year, and 80% will have at least 1 cavity by 34 years of age.1
Acute dental pain can affect the hard and soft tissues of the mouth and can be due to dental procedures or underlying conditions.2 While acute pain resolves, pain that lasts longer than 3 months is considered chronic. Diagnosing dental pain is important to help patients recognize triggers, find a treatment plan, and regain their quality of life.
Dental pain: Causes
Dental pain can be caused by pathological conditions, underlying disease processes, and/or their treatment.2 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.
Causes might include:
- Dental procedures such as frenectomy, simple extraction or root planning2
- Dental cleaning on teeth with exposed dentin or tooth roots3
- Dentin hypersensitivity4
- Dental caries5
- Pulpitis6
- Dental abscess6
- Cracked or fractured tooth6
Diagnosing dental pain problems
Whether sharp and throbbing or dull and aching, dental pain often makes life difficult. Understanding the different types of dental pain symptoms will allow you to accurately diagnose the cause of your patient’s dental pain and develop a treatment plan.
Acute vs chronic pain
Acute dental pain is pain of short to medium duration that affects the hard tissues (including enamel, dentin, and cementum) and soft tissues of the mouth. This type of gum or dental pain is caused by disease or injury and can often be resolved.
Dental pain lasting longer than 3 months is considered chronic.2
Symptoms may include:
- Sensitivity7
- Sharp pain when biting down6
- Lingering pain after eating6
- Constant, severe pain and pressure8,9
- Dull ache in the upper teeth and jaws8,10
- Wisdom tooth pain11
Managing dental pain problems
The ADA guidelines recommend NSAIDs, like Advil, first line for acute dental pain.2 Whether patients are experiencing pain due to dental procedures or oral conditions, you can help them find safe, effective relief.
Depending on the type of dental pain, you can recommend different types of treatment:
- For mild to moderate postoperative dental pain and inflammation, the ADA recommends NSAIDs, like Advil, as a first line for dental pain management over prescription opioids.
- A systemic review comparing OTC and prescription pain relievers in The Journal of the American Dental Association found a combination therapy of ibuprofen with acetaminophen, like Advil Dual Action, more effective than many prescription opioid-containing regimen with a lower risk of adverse effects, in the treatment of acute dental pain from third-molar extractions.
- For dentin hypersensitivity, recommend a specialist toothpaste like Sensodyne, containing an ingredient such as stannous fluoride12 or potassium nitrate13 proven to relieve sensitivity pain.
- For other causes of dental pain, dental evaluation is recommended for treatment
Nonpharmacologic options for mild dental pain:
- Rinse with salt water to speed gum tissue healing and minimize pain and sensitivity
- Use a soft toothbrush
Dentin hypersensitivity
Find out the causes and symptoms of dentin hypersensitivity, and how you can help patients treat it.
Enamel Wear
Discover the causes of enamel wear, how to recognize it and how you can help patients manage it.
Dental Appliance and Denture care
Learn how to help patients adapt to life with dentures, and the ways you can help them get the most out of their dental appliances.
