No matter how tough you consider yourself to be, ignoring a toothache, even a mild one, can be hazardous to your health. Rather than putting off a trip to the dentist, pay careful attention to your symptoms and be prepared to take action, sooner, rather than later.

What Are Your Symptoms?

Nearly anyone can recognize the symptoms of a toothache; however, it’s important to be able to relay to your dentist exactly what’s going on in your mouth. Look for and take note of the following:

1. Pain In The Tooth: You may have sharp, even agonizing pain in one particular tooth.
2. Surrounding A Tooth: There may be an area around a tooth causing you intense pain or discomfort.
3. Swelling Of The Gums: Redness and irritation of the gums can lead to pain and should be taken seriously.
4. Throbbing From The Teeth: A pulsing, throbbing pain can mean infection or something is lodged between teeth. This type of pain can lead to other complications for you.
5. Pain Radiating Through The Jaw: If your toothache involves a nerve, such a situation can leave your entire mouth hurting; this pain usually emanates from the affected tooth, radiating throughout the jaw and line of teeth.
6. Any Drainage From The Tooth: If you observe any type of discharge from a tooth, even if there’s no pain, this symptom should be immediately reported to a dentist.
7. Headache, Fever Or Dizziness: Toothaches can wreak havoc on different systems and other parts of the body, depending on their cause(s). Include any other symptoms in conversations with your dentist, as they may indicate severity, infection and other systemic causes for a toothache.

What’s Causing All That Pain?

There are quite a few reasons you have a toothache and while it could be something as simple as having a bit of corn stuck way back between your wisdom teeth, more nefarious reasons may very well be present, meaning you’re going to need a professional evaluation for such situations as:

1. Severe Tooth Decay: Cavities can cause extreme pain.
2. An Abscessed Tooth: When decay hits a nerve, the pain can be excruciating and this should be considered an emergency.
3. Abscessed Gums: Infections of the gum can penetrate deep below the surface, even to the bone; this pain may make you feel like you have a toothache, even though it’s a gum problem.
4. A Filling In Need Of Repair: Fillings can come loose or fall out, resulting in pain, especially if the lost filling exposes sensitive areas.
5. An Injury To A Tooth: Any type of force against your tooth can cause a fracture or breakage, even if it’s not visible to you.
6. Grinding: If you grind your teeth, they can become worn down and painful.

Why Is It So Important To See A Dentist Quickly?

Besides needing relief from the pain you’re in, toothaches are often symptomatic of serious conditions requiring immediate attention. You should see a professional:

1. For Severe Pain: Anything more than mild discomfort.
2. For Lasting Pain: If the pain persists for more than 48 hours, contact your dentist.
3. When You Have Other Symptoms: The presence of a fever with dental pain may indicate an infection; however, any other problems, such as headache, earache or pain when eating or brushing are indications you need to see your dentist right away.

It’s important to note that many dental symptoms could be telling you that you have an infection, which, if left untreated, can spread throughout your body, possibly leading to very serious complications.

You can afford to put some things in life off, but a toothache should never be one of them. If you have pain, discomfort, swelling or any other oral complications, talk to a emergency dentist in Albuquerque right away. You just might be surprised at how threatening a “mere” toothache can be to your good health.