An individual’s experience with tooth pain depends on the root cause of that pain. Toothaches also vary in nature, intensity, and duration. Take tooth sensitivity as an example. It tends to cause pain only when a problem tooth is triggered by heat, cold, sugar, acid or pressure. In contrast, dental caries cause a more persistent type of toothache. So, how long does tooth pain last? It depends.
Some patients develop dental pain because of unrelated medical issues. A good example is referred pain from a sinus infection. To resolve this type of toothache, the patient should seek the help of a relevant health care professional to tackle the root cause. This is all the more reason to seek medical or dental health as soon as tooth pain becomes unrelenting.
At the end of the day, tooth pain only lasts as long as it takes for treatment to take effect. This, in turn, depends on the nature of an individual’s tooth pain. It also depends on how fast a patient seeks help for their oral health problem.
1. The root cause of the pain
Injury and tooth decay are problems that cause acute dental pain that gets worse with time. A dental procedure is all that is needed to correct this type of pain. Treating a tooth injury resolves dental pain almost immediately. The same goes for root canal therapy as a treatment for a dental abscess.
That being said, tooth pain can result from complex underlying issues, like a bad bite or chronic teeth grinding. Treatment for longer-term problems takes more than a single session in the dentist’s chair.
In the case of teeth grinding, a patient will notice pain relief within a few days (or weeks) of using a mouth guard during sleep. Orthodontic treatment for a bad bite deals with pain in a slower, more gradual manner. The same goes for gum disease. That being said, a dentist will guide the patient through timely, effective pain management all through recovery.
2. How quickly the patient seeks help
The outcomes of dental health issues depend on how fast a patient seeks treatment. As an example, fixing a small cavity eliminates the possibility of pain from tooth decay. Yet many people visit the dentist when dental pain finally overcomes their fear of the dentist’s chair.
In the case of chronic conditions like gum disease, prompt action on the part of the patient makes all the difference. Early-stage gum disease is painless and easy to treat. Advanced gum disease has severe symptoms that include long-term pain. Since correcting chronic conditions takes a while, the patient will have to adopt pain management measures in the medium term.
Regular dental checkups allow dentists to catch oral health problems before they cause tooth pain. That is a great reason to make an appointment with our dentist. Get in touch with us today to eliminate tooth pain from your future.
Request an appointment here: https://www.diamondheaddentalcare.com or call Diamond Head Dental Care at (808) 450-2101 for an appointment in our Honolulu office.
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