Toothaches

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Treatment

Toothaches

Definition:

Toothache is pain in or around a tooth.

Alternative Names:

Pain - tooth or teeth

Considerations:

A toothache is generally the result of dental cavities (tooth decay) or sometimes an infection. Tooth decay is often caused by poor dental hygiene, although the tendency to get tooth decay is partly inherited.

Sometimes, pain in other locations is perceived as occurring in the teeth (this is called referred pain or radiating pain).

Common Causes:

Tooth decay
Abscessed tooth
Earache
Injury to the jaw or mouth
Heart attack (can include jaw pain, neck pain, or toothache)
Sinusitis

Review Date: 8/12/2005
Reviewed By: Johanna Jacobs, D.D.S., General and Cosmetic Dentistry, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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