How can you feel a toothache but not come from your teeth? Because the pain feels like it’s coming from your tooth, it’s natural to assume that all toothaches are caused by cavities, loose fillings or crowns, infection of the nerve or gums, impacted wisdom teeth or some other tooth-related problem.
It could be very frustrating to have to visit the dentist multiple times and even sometimes do dental procedures and the pain still does not go away.
That is because pain in one area in the mouth may originate from other areas.
Other sources for non-dental pain:
Trigeminal Neuralgia in an inflammation or damage of the main nerve that give sensation to the teeth, gums, jaw and surrounding muscles. When irritated the nerve may cause the teeth to feel overly sensitive and easily mistaken to a severe toothache. However, no amount of root canals will relieve the pain and your dentist will need to do many x-rays and additional temperature testing for the teeth.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD)
This is most common reason for not tooth related pain. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a double hinge that connects the jaw to the scull and regulate to movement of the jaw.
TMD may be due to mechanical (clenching and grinding) or infection of the joint. Pain from the joint may feel like coming from the teeth, jaw, muscles and mimic even earache. Sometimes to diagnose TMD, a general dentist may refer you to an orofacial pain specialist or a rheumatologist.
Other pain related to Jaw Clenching/Teeth Grinding.
Sometimes we clench or grind while asleep or stressed out. This can cause muscle tenderness, jaw pain, joint disorder, and sore teeth. The treatment is usually night guard to protect and relief the pressure on the teeth and the TMJ.
Sinus Condition
The roots of the upper molars are very close or even in the maxillary sinus. The maxillary sinuses are empty space in the upper jaw on both sides of the nose. Any sinus congestion can put pressure on the tip of the roots when the nerve is, which could feel like a toothache. The easiest way to distinguish the sinus pain from toothache is to see if decongestants or antihistamines alleviate the pain.
In conclusion: When other pain conditions looks like dental pain, you may need to have multiple trips to your general dentist office or see a specialist with additional training in oral-facial pain.
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