Understanding How Toothache Pain Can Radiate

Toothache pain can be excruciating, especially when it first starts. A toothache can come on suddenly and without warning. Most people find that toothaches always seem to happen on evenings, weekends, and holidays when getting a dental appointment is hard. The reality is that toothaches are never convenient, and your dentist must always treat them in Long Beach, CA.

Do Toothaches Go Away?

Toothaches may seem to go away if a person can withstand the first few hours or days of intense, sharp pain. In fact, sometimes people say that they just took an over-the-counter painkiller, and everything seemed to be okay after that. But that’s not actually what’s going on.

Teeth become painful when something is going on with the nerve endings. The damage to a tooth doesn’t go away on its own because teeth can’t heal themselves the way gums can. A toothache must always be treated, even if it seems like the pain is gone.

Toothache Pain Radiates

When the tooth itself doesn’t seem to hurt anymore, it’s often because the pain has radiated to another part of the body. Because the nerves in teeth are connected to the rest of the nervous system, the pain can appear elsewhere in seemingly unrelated areas. Surprising to most people, toothache pain can manifest as neck pain, earache, headaches, migraines, shoulder and arm pain, and even back pain. There is also emerging evidence that a toothache can cause central nervous system symptoms. These symptoms may include nervousness, anxiety, or even a resurgence of previously controlled symptoms of OCD.

Treatment for Toothaches

If you have a toothache in Long Beach, CA, please contact your dentist for treatment. The solution might be as simple as filling a cavity, and today you can get tooth-colored fillings for cavities. The longer you go without treatment, the more damage can be done to the tooth and gums. The problem could also spread to abutting teeth, making the treatment more complex and time-consuming.

Your dentist in Long Beach can efficiently and gently treat your toothache. There’s no reason to wait until the pain radiates to other body parts. Contact us today to book an appointment.