Normally, your teeth should not hurt whenever you bite down. But tooth pain happens when pressure is applied or when you chew, book an appointment with one of the best dentists in Hackensack NJ right away. A toothache is something that must not be ignored.
When biting or chewing causes dental pain, this may be because of a problem. A dentist can diagnose the issue and provide quality dental care. The tooth pain you experience may be due to the following:
Dental Cavity
If a tooth hurts whenever you bite down or chew, you may have a cavity. Dental cavities are holes in your teeth caused by decay. They can lead to sensitivity and pain when you eat or drink. If you have big cavities, food can get stuck in there. Also, you can experience sensitivity to sweets if you have a dental cavity.
Tooth Sensitivity
When the enamel of your teeth wears down, sensitivity occurs, causing a tooth to hurt whenever you bite down. If the enamel wears away completely or gets too thin, the tooth’s nerves become exposed. When this happens, the teeth become sensitive to temperatures and acidic foods.
Tooth Cracks or Fractures
Minor tooth cracks and hairline fractures lead to some symptoms, aside from tooth pain whenever you bite down. Such kinds of teeth injuries are hard to detect with your naked eye and even an X-ray. Special diagnosis and testing are necessary to detect a cracked or fractured tooth.
Loose Tooth
Biting down on a loose tooth stretches and pulls the tiny ligaments, causing pain, soreness, and discomfort. Usually, a loose tooth can result from gum disease or a sports injury.
Loose Dental Filling
Tooth pain when you bite or chew can be caused by a loose filling. Eventually, some dental fillings will pull away or leak from the tooth with age. When you bite down on this tooth, the filling tends to move slightly, resulting in tooth pain and discomfort.
Gum Disease
If you have gum disease, the ligaments that attach your teeth’s roots to the gums are destroyed. When the infection gets worse, the gum will recede and expose the roots. When this occurs, your gums will bleed and swell seriously. In such cases, biting down on this tooth can be quite painful.
Dental Abscess
Dental abscesses are pus pockets that develop around your gums or the roots of your infected tooth. Tooth damage, bacterial gum infection, and periodontal disease cause the formation of dental abscesses. A dental abscess must be addressed by a dentist immediately as the infection can spread to other parts of your body, compromising your overall health.
Recurring Dental Infection
If a root canal treatment fails, the infection can recur despite the removal of the infected tooth pulp. Some remaining bacteria or nerve tissue near the tip of your tooth can cause tooth pain. If you experience pain in this area when you chew, speak with your dentist right away.
Malocclusion
This occurs because of a misalignment of your upper and lower teeth. As a result, the pressure of biting down is not evenly distributed. This leads to serious tooth pain or a sore tooth. Malocclusion can result from different problems like hereditary factors, ill-fitted fillings, and missing teeth.
Gum Recession
Gum recession exposes the roots of your tooth. As a result, the affected tooth will be quite sensitive to temperature changes, pressure, and acidity. The impact of a bite on the exposed tooth root causes pain. In addition, sharp pain can be experienced when liquid or food comes into contact with the surface of the root. While gum recession can happen because of a severe oral health problem like gum disease, it can be a result of teeth grinding, aggressive tooth brushing, and malocclusion.