15 Conditions That Make Your Teeth Hurt - WebMD

• Oral Care
• Slideshows

Oral Care Guide

• Teeth and Gums
  • Teeth Problems
  • Wisdom Teeth
  • Gum Problems
• Other Oral Conditions
  • Bad Breath
  • Dry Mouth
  • Your Throat, Tonsils, and Glands
  • Tongue and Lip Problems
  • Jaw Problems
  • Oral and Throat Cancer
• Dental Care Basics
  • Healthy Mouth
  • Brushing and Flossing
  • Dental Care for Kids
  • Dental Care for Seniors
• Treatment & Surgery
  • Correcting Crooked Teeth
  • Surgical Treatments
  • Other Dental Treatments
• View Full Guide

Written by Rachel Reiff EllisMedically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on June 24, 20251/15

Do you clench your jaw in times of anger, tension, or intense concentration? Your teeth bear some of the brunt of that stress. They can ache or wiggle loose over time.

2/15

Sometimes even when you don’t feel stressed, you might clench and grind your teeth while you sleep. It can happen when you have a sleep disorder, your bite doesn’t line up correctly, or you’re missing teeth. Ask your dentist if a night guard can help you prevent damage while you dream.

3/15

Swishing with mouthwash multiple times a day may give you a deep clean. But it can come with a downside: sensitive teeth. Some rinses have acids that can damage your dentin, the middle layer of your teeth.

4/15

Studies on triathletes show that endurance training can wear down your tooth enamel more. The more intense their workout schedule, the more likely they were to have cavities. Scientists aren’t exactly sure why, but may think it has to do with how exercise changes the amount of saliva in your mouth.

5/15

Pain in your upper back teeth might be a sign of a sinus infection. It’s pretty common, since your teeth are close neighbors of your nasal passages.

6/15

Pregnancy may have you seeing more “pink in the sink,” or blood when you brush. You’re more likely to deal with gingivitis when you’ve got a baby on the way. You also have a higher chance of cavities, so schedule some extra checkups with your dentist while you wait for delivery day.

7/15

Your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your lower jaw to your skull. When any part of your TMJ isn’t working because of injury, arthritis, or something else, it can cause a whole host of symptoms, including pain when you chew and in your jaw.

8/15

It’s not common, but a condition called trigeminal neuralgia could be at the root of your tooth problem. It causes chronic nerve pain in one of the nerves in your head. The pain is often brought on by brushing your teeth, eating, and drinking.

9/15

Upper body pain can be a symptom of a heart attack. You might feel the discomfort in your shoulders, neck, jaw, or teeth. Take note if you’re dealing with other things along with your mouth, like sweating, heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

10/15

Dealing with dingy teeth by bleaching? Your whitener may be to blame for throbbing teeth. Sensitivity can start 2-3 days into treatment but can go away after a few more. Your gums can feel irritated as you whiten, too.

11/15

When gums recede, they pull back the protective layer over your teeth’s nerves and leave them aching. It can be a sign of gum disease, so be sure your dentist knows if your pain comes with teeth that look longer, or if you have pus, mouth sores, bad breath, or bleeding when you brush.

12/15

Oral cancer commonly shows up with mouth or tooth pain that doesn’t go away. Trigeminal neuralgia can also come from a tumor pressing on your facial nerves, but it’s rare.

13/15

Foods high in acid wear away enamel and leave teeth less protected. The top culprits include hard sugar candies, coffee, citrus fruits -- like lemons, oranges, and grapefruits -- and soda.

14/15

Speaking of acid, your stomach is full of it. When you vomit, that can get on your teeth. If you vomit a lot, it can start to damage them. GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), pregnancy, chronic alcoholism, and bulimia are conditions that can lead to tooth trouble from throwing up too much.

15/15

Not only does water wash away the bits and pieces of food left behind after you eat, depending on where you get your water, it can also be full of fluoride, which keeps teeth strong and healthy. If you don’t drink enough water, your teeth could be in trouble.

SourcesUpdate HistorySharePrint

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

1) Digital Vision / Thinkstock

2) demaerre / Thinkstock             

3) Christopher Robbins / Thinkstock

4) sportpoint / Thinkstock

5) kieferpix / Thinkstock

6) sdominick / Getty Images

7) Nucleus Medical Media / Medical Images

8) Claus Lunau / Science Source

9) Lars Neumann / Thinkstock

10) Jose Luis Pelaez Inc. / Getty Images

11) ISM / Dr Jean-Pierre CASTEYDE / Medical Images

12) Watanyou / Getty Images

13) Stockbyte / Thinkstock

14) sankalpmaya / Thinkstock

15) Shaun Wang / EyeEm / Getty Images

 

SOURCES:

Mayo Clinic: “Bruxism (teeth grinding),” “Sinus Infection and toothache: Any connection?” “TMJ Disorders,” “Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency.”

American Dental Association: “Teeth Grinding,” “Is it safe to go to the dentist during pregnancy?” “Whitening,” “Top 9 Foods That Damage Your Teeth,” “Dental Erosion,” “4 Reasons Water is the Best Beverage for Your Teeth.”

Cleveland Clinic: “Teeth Sensitivity: Possible Causes.”

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports: “Effect of endurance training on dental erosion, caries, and saliva.”

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: “Trigeminal Neuralgia Fact Sheet.”

American Academy of Periodontology: “Gum Disease Symptoms.”

American Cancer Society: “Signs and Symptoms of Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer.”

View privacy policy, copyright and trust info SharePrint View privacy policy, copyright and trust info

Top doctors in ,

Find more top doctors on

Search

Related Links

• Oral Health News
• Oral Health Reference
• Oral Health Slideshows
• Oral Health Quizzes
• Oral Health Videos
• Dental Care
• Cavities
• Tooth Loss
• Wisdom Teeth
• Canker Sores
• Correcting Crooked Teeth
• Oral Surgery
• Bad Breath
• Dry Mouth
• Mouth Sores
• Orthodontics
• Signs of Gum Disease
• Teeth Grinding
• Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)
• Tooth Decay
• Head and Neck Cancer