When you’re in pain and need help, you probably don’t want to have to think too hard about why that is; you’d rather see a dentist as quickly as possible, and have them tell you.
However, even after you’ve made your emergency appointment, it may be a good idea for you to have an understanding of what could be going on with you. This could help you communicate well with your dentist and ultimately make your treatment go faster. If your face hurts, here are a few reasons that could be the case.
Dental Abscesses
A dental abscess is a small, pus-filled lump that’s located along the gumline, and it’s usually the result of an infection from deep within the tooth’s pulp. Dental abscesses are remarkably uncomfortable, so much so that this one little bump can make it feel like your entire face hurts.
Dental abscesses cause throbbing, persistent pain and sensitive gums. They may also be associated with symptoms you may think of as being connected to infection, like a fever or a foul taste in your mouth.
TMJ Disorders
Your TMJ are small joints that connect your jaw to the rest of your face. They’re small, but they take on a lot of pressure to hold your jaw in place. That being the case, the TMJ can potentially become misaligned, leading to what’s called a TMJ disorder.
TMJ disorders are most often associated with jaw pain and chronic teeth grinding, but they also come with a lot of strange symptoms due to their proximity to the inner ear. These can include nausea, vertigo, and headaches.
Sinus Infections
Some facial pain may feel like it’s coming from your mouth but not actually have anything to do with your teeth at all. Your sinuses run all across your face, including near your top jaw. As a result, one of them becoming infected can feel like you have a toothache in one of your upper molars.
Sinus infections, however, feel more like pressure than a throbbing or pulsing, and they’re associated with a cough or runny nose that are unusual for other kinds of facial pain.
While each of these conditions is fairly common, they don’t make up even close to all of the conditions that can cause facial pain. If you want to know for sure what you’re dealing with, you’d have to talk to a professional. Still, hopefully this guide gave you some helpful insight into how you can do that.
About Our Practice
At My Frederick Dentist, we know that most dentists will spend a lot of time forcing you to wait, and we’re proud to be able to do things differently. We truly value your time, which is why we’ve made the dental process as efficient as possible and work hard to make every moment you spend with us count. Whether you’re in need of a basic checkup or need immediate pain relief, we’re happy to help you.
If you have any questions about dental emergencies, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (301) 698-9552.