Smiles By Farr » Feeling Pain?

I Have Pain In My Tooth

Touch / Bite
- Abscess: a dead nerve that has become infected and the infection is spreading into the surrounding jaw bone
- Fracture: a break in the root structure that is allowing the pieces to move about each other and cause an infection in the surrounding jaw bone
- Recent dental work: recent dental restorations may be interfering with the bite causing trauma to the ligaments supporting the tooth
- Concussion: a bruise to the ligaments from an injury
Temperature
- Cavity: bacterial infection of the tooth that is exposing the tubules housing the nerve
- Gum recession: root surface revealed that exposes the tubules housing the nerve
- Recent dental work : bite is interfered with causing injury to the nerve
- Concussion: a bruise to the nerve from an injury
- Whitening: nerve has been stimulated through fluid movement in tooth
On Its Own
- Inflamed nerve: degenerating condition; nerve dying

Gum Disease: bacterial infection resulting in inflamed gums and/or bone loss occurring around teeth
Abscess: infection resulting from bacteria spreading from or around a tooth
Canker Sores: ulcers on the gums that happen during times of stress and are caused by body’s immune system
Cold Sores: outbreak of viral infection caused by herpes simples virus that occurs usually on lips but can occur on gums also

Pain upon opening: could be a disc displacement, muscle problem, or joint derangement/disease
Can’t fully open mouth: same as pain on opening
Jaw moves to one side: disc displacement, fracture, or joint derangement/disease
Jaw gets stuck: joints overextended

Chipped / Broken
- Decay: bacterial infection of the tooth that causes loss of a part of tooth
- Trauma: accident like a fall or hit to the mouth
- Grinding: loss of edges of teeth from sliding back and forth
Discoloration
- External Staining: food coloring, tobacco, coffee/tea, decay
- Internal Staining: occurs during formation of teeth such as tetracycline use or over ingestion of fluoride
- Old Fillings: leaking due to open margins or failed bonding
Straightness
- Wear (Grinding): uneven edges due to grinding more on one side than the other
- Missing Teeth: resulting in drifting of other teeth out of alignment
- Hereditary:parents had crooked teeth
  - Growth & development
  - Tooth size / arch shape

Other teeth shifting:teeth around space shift, tilt, or grow out of gums
- Bite collapse loss of height of lower face due to shifting
- Joint issues due to bite interference that result from shifting
Overload of remaining teeth: remaining teeth have to pick up the work that the tooth/teeth that are missing did

Tongue position: tongue falls back into airway space
Obesity: fat deposits in throat constrict airway space and make tissues flap more with breathing
Swollen adenoids/tonsils: constrict airway space