Why Does My Tooth Hurt When I Bite Down?

Tooth pain is the worst, isn’t it? If your teeth are sore, you may be googling “Why does my tooth hurt when I bite down?”

Well, there can be many reasons for this, and we are here to go through all these potential causes – and find you some solutions to your pain too.

Why Does My Tooth Hurt When I Bite Down

There are many reasons why your tooth hurts when you bite down – but don’t panic straight away, you may be able to sort it before you rush off to the dentist.

Gum disease

This insidious little issue can sneak in without you noticing – until it gets really bad.

If your teeth are hurting because your gums are inflamed, you need to really step up your oral hygiene regime to get on top of it.

Bruxism

If you grind your teeth at night, you may wake up feeling pain in your teeth when you bite down.

Have a chat with your dentist about this, as chances are you can have a night mouth guard fitted which will protect your teeth.

Malocclusion

This is where your teeth are improperly aligned, wither because one or several are missing, or because of an injury or a change in your mouth.

Making an appointment with your dentist is the best thing you can do; they will be able to advise you on the best way forward.

An infection

A tooth that is infected will make its presence felt pretty quickly, and the pain when you bite down on it can be excruciating.

Get to your dentist as quickly as you can if you suspect that you have a tooth infection; they will be able to prescribe you antibiotics to fix the problem.

An abscess

Tooth abscesses are the worst – super painful, and they can go on for a long time!

Talking to your dentist – with an emergency appointment if necessary – will help you get to the root of the problem and fix it as soon as possible.

If you need some more information, here is an article all about toothache.

How Do I Stop My Tooth Hurting When I Bite Down?

Sore teeth is the worst feeling – it’s often not just the tooth, but it can spread to your head and neck as well.

If your tooth has suddenly started hurting when you bite down, there are a few things you can do before you trot off to the dentist.

Medicated mouthwash can really help in these temporary issues; this can kill off any bacteria that might be affecting the tooth and causing pain.

Over the counter painkillers are a real help with tooth pain – they can numb it enough to get you through your day, before you can get to the dentist to sort it out.

Extra cleaning may well be your answer – making sure your teeth are as clean as they can be, with no lurking bits of food stuck in them, can really help with tooth pain.

Check for anything stuck. If you have recently eaten something like popcorn, you may find that your pain is simply due to something being wedged between your tooth and your gum.

Chewing cloves is an ancient (and excellent) temporary solution to tooth pain. They will numb the area, making it possible for you to carry on until you can see a dentist.

This video will give you some ideas on how to prevent your teeth hurting as you bite down, using an ingredient you might not expect:

Can Tooth Pain Go Away On Its Own?

Depending on what is causing your tooth pain, it can actually seem to go away on its own.

If your toothache is coming from inside your mouth but not from inside a tooth, chances are you can deal with it yourself and it will go away pretty quickly.

Some types of tooth pain – those caused by cavities, infections or abscesses, can take longer to deal with, and these will very likely need professional intervention.

If the tooth itself is hurting, not the surrounding gum or jaw, then this is more of a problem that you will need to see a dentist for.

As a general rule, give it a day or three to see if you can resolve the problem by yourself. If your tooth is still giving you trouble after this time, make a dentists appointment stat!

When Should I Be Worried About Tooth Pain?

A toothache can have you running to the dentist before they are even open – but do you actually have to worry straight away?

It is recommended that you give it a day or two, to see if you can sort out the tooth pain with mouthwashes and extra brushing.

If your tooth is unbearably painful, or your cheek or jaw is starting to swell, this is a definite sign that you need some sort of intervention.

Similarly, if you develop a high temperature with your tooth ache, it may be a sign that you have an infection.

A raised bump on the gum near the tooth is a sure indication of an abscess, so you should hot foot it to the dentist as soon as you can.

How Long Does A Toothache Last?

A toothache, unlike a headache or a sore throat, can go on for an awfully long time, leaving you uncomfortable throughout.

If the tooth pain is caused by something sweet stuck in the teeth it should be fairly simple to resolve, but a bigger issue can take a lot longer.

If you have really severe toothache, it is really not worth waiting for it to go away. Dentists are there for a reason; use them!

Your tooth ache could be caused by a cavity, an infection, an abscess, a cracked filling – the list goes on!

If you have a toothache that goes on for more than a couple of days with no signs of getting better, you really need to go to the dentist to get it looked at.

Final Thoughts

So there you go – a good few answers as to why your tooth may be hurting. Before you dash off to the dentist, see if there is anything you can do about it at home!

If your tooth is hurting when you bite down, it could be for a number of reasons, and once you have figured out why, then you can work out what to do about it.