When your teeth are healthy, they shouldn’t feel much. Yet, even when they start to grow sensitive, it can seem like an insignificant thing, especially if the sensitivity is minor. If one or more of your teeth feel sensitive or painful to any degree, it’s typically a sign that something is wrong with the tooth or the tissues around it. Today, we examine why healthy teeth shouldn’t feel any pain, and why it’s an important signal if they start to.
The healthy state of your natural teeth
A healthy, natural tooth is equipped to protect itself from most common threats against its structure. For example, a healthy tooth’s visible crown is coated and protected by the body’s strongest substance, known as enamel. This highly resilient layer of mineral strands protects the main structures of your teeth, which are more sensitive to irritation from things like food, beverages, hot and cold temperatures, plaque buildup, and more. If your teeth start to grow sensitive to these irritations, it may be a sign that the enamel around one or more of them has grown weak. This may be a precursor to tooth decay, which involves oral bacteria infecting the main tooth structure and causing a cavity to form in it.
The meaning of tooth pain and sensitivity
The weakening of tooth enamel and the formation of tooth decay are common causes of tooth sensitivity, but they aren’t the only reason behind chronic tooth pain. Your tooth’s structure can become compromised in other ways that you may not notice immediately. For instance, your teeth may become worn down, cracked, or broken in areas that aren’t easily visible, causing them to hurt before you realize that they’re damaged. In some cases, the pain may originate within a tooth’s root that’s been exposed by the gum tissues receding, or pulling away. This is often a sign of gingivitis, or gum disease, and neglecting to address it right away may lead to more complicated oral health concerns, including tooth loss.
How to find relief from aching teeth
Because teeth can ache for a variety of reasons, the only effective way to find lasting relief from the pain is to have your dentist diagnose the specific cause of it. After a thorough dental examination, your dentist can determine the exact nature and extent of your concern, then work with you to determine the best course of treatment to address it. This may include customizing one or more restorative treatments to repair teeth that have become damaged, or to help you restore your periodontal health.
Learn more about dealing with tooth pain
If your teeth have started to feel pain, then it’s likely an indication that they’re in trouble and need your dentist’s attention as soon as possible. To learn more, schedule an appointment with us by calling Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS, today at 913-681-5500. We also serve patients who live in Overland Park and all surrounding communities.
