Are you in Pain?

The severity of a toothache can range from chronic and mild to sharp and excruciating. The pain may be aggravated by chewing or temperature (cold or heat). A thorough oral examination, which includes dental x-rays, can help determine the cause of the pain and whether it is coming from a tooth or other non-dental problem.

 Severe toothache (urgent care required) is usually associated with an exposed nerve or an abscess. And ignoring such pain could lead to serious complications. It is important to get in touch with the dentist to get suitable treatment. This sometimes involves Root Canal Treatment or Extraction of the involved tooth/teeth.

Sharp pain on biting?

You may sometimes experience a sharp pain when you bite on to hard foods. This typically is called a Cracked Tooth Syndrome (CTS). A "Cracked tooth syndrome" refers to tooth ache caused by a broken/fractured tooth without an associated cavity or advanced gum disease. Biting on the area of tooth fracture can cause severe sharp pains. These fractures are usually due to chewing or biting on hard foods such as hard candies, cookies, nuts, etc. 

Symptoms may vary, however, a cracked tooth is typically characterized by sharp fleeting pain when releasing biting pressure on an object. This is because when biting down the segments are usually moving apart and thereby reducing the pressure in the nerves in the dentin of the tooth. When the bite is released the "segments" snap back together sharply increasing the pressure in the intradentin nerves causing pain. The pain is often inconsistent, and frequently hard to reproduce. If untreated, CTS can lead to severe pain, possible pulpal death, abscess, and even the loss of the tooth.

The dentist can diagnose/detect the fracture by using a tooth slooth on the tooth. Accordingly, the dentist may treat the tooth with the following options

• Restore the fractured part of the tooth with composite filling
• Cover the tooth with a gold or porcelain crown which is a more permanent option
• Root Canal treatment, if none of the above relieve the pain
• Extraction, if the crack is too deep and the tooth cannot be saved

If you would like to be attended to as soon as possible with regards to any of the above, we are usually able to see you on the same day as an emergency (at no extra cost). You can call us on the following numbers: 

Birkenhead - Hinemoa Street Dental - 09 480 1748 

Browns Bay - Coast Dental - 09 479 3160

Northcote - Te Puna Hauora Dental - 0211043243

Manly (Whangaparaoa) - Cameron Dental Service - 09 424 4900