How Long Does Tooth Nerve Pain Last?

Have you ever felt an unexpected sharp pain in your teeth when you sip something cold or hot? What of a dull throbbing toothache that builds up and persists for a long time? You are most likely to be suffering from tooth nerve pain.

Tooth nerve pain can last for a few days or take weeks. Find out below how long tooth nerve pain lasts, the causes, and how it can be relieved.

Causes of Tooth Nerve Pain

The nerves in your teeth are located at the pulp, and this is a bundle of nerves and blood vessels at the center of your tooth.

Nerve pain in your teeth falls into two categories:

1. Pulp Sensitivity

If your nerve pain focuses on one of your teeth, the problem will likely affect the pulp. The causes of nerve pain in the teeth that affects your pulp include:

• Chipped, cracked, or broken tooth
• Tooth decay or infection
• Pressure from clenching or grinding your teeth
• A recent dental filling

2. Dentinal Sensitivity

Dentinal sensitivity is nerve pain in the teeth which is more widespread. This nerve pain in your teeth occurs when your enamel is eroded or damaged, and external stimuli such as cold, heat, and acid reach the nerve endings in the dentin layer of your tooth.

Causes of dentinal sensitivity include:

• Untreated cavities
• Receding gum line
• Use of teeth whitening products
• Brushing your teeth too hard
• A recent gum surgery that exposes the roots of your tooth

How Long Does Nerve Pain Last in A Tooth?

On average, a tooth nerve pain can last from as little as just a few days to as long as 4-6weeks or, in some instances, even longer. Considering the numbness ad sharp pain that may occur with a tooth nerve, you have to do what you can to get rid of the pain as soon as possible.

Nerve pain, as explained above, can be caused by the pressure from the surrounding tissues that place a lot of stress on your tooth’s nerve. In addition, the muscles, cartilage, bones, and tendons can make all press against a nerve. This can cause the nerve to lose its function and thus lead to numbness, tingling, sharp pain like a burning sensation, and muscle weakness.

Treating the tooth nerve pain at Heavenly Smiles Dentist is crucial to your recovery timeline. A more severe case of tooth nerve pain may require surgery.

To help you alleviate the symptoms at home, one can follow the following home remedies:

• Apply ice by wrapping it in a towel to the affected area to help numb the pain.
• I am practicing regular dental hygiene. This is by regular flossing and brushing your teeth.
• Prop your head with pillows at night to keep your head elevated.
• Taking prescribed over the counter pain relievers to help alleviate the pain
• Rinse your mouth with salt water, which helps remove food particles stuck between your teeth. It can also help deal with infection by reducing inflammation.
• Rinsing your mouth with hydrogen peroxide reduces inflammation. Ensure to spit the hydrogen peroxide after swashing it in your mouth.
• You are applying hot or cold tea to the affected area. Peppermint tea bags are great for relieving pain because of their antibacterial functions. However, cause tea may stain your teeth, you are advised not to use this method regularly.

Tooth Nerve Pain Relief and Treatments

Different dental problems can solve the issue depending on the cause of your tooth’s nerve pain. Two of these most common procedures for treating nerve pain include root canals and dental fillings.

• Fillings

If a simple cavity causes your tooth nerve pain, a filling can repair the cavity. When you are undergoing the filling process, your emergency dentist near you will numb the areas using anesthesia, remove the decayed material and replace it using a dental filling.

• Root Canal

A root canal is done if your tooth’s nerve pain results from a severely infected or decayed tooth. Your dentist removes the damaged nerve and pulp from inside your tooth during the root canal process, cleans the affected area, and seals it. The nerves inside your teeth are essential for a healthy tooth function, and a root canal will cure some types of tooth nerve pain.