Having a chronic toothache isn't something that anybody wants, but when a tooth or two only occasionally hurts, you may not know what to do about it. Should you be worried if a tooth only hurts sometimes but feels fine the rest of the time? The easy answer here is yes. Teeth shouldn't hurt under normal circumstances, so even if the pain isn't constant, you should seek help from a dentist. Here's some of the possible reasons why it's hurting you.

Sensitivity

For many people, sensitivity is the real reason behind irregular tooth pain. In these cases, the pain may come and go because only certain things trigger it, like exposure to heat or cold.

Generally speaking, sensitivity in teeth is caused by damage to the outside of the tooth that's penetrated deeply enough to impact the inside of it, too. As the nerves inside the tooth become closer to the surface, the electrical messages they send to the brain are intensified, and it's registered as pain. However, regular pressure and eating may not be enough to cause pain, hence it being irregular.

Nerve Damage

Another possibility is that the nerve inside the tooth may have been damaged by something. While this is usually due to things like tooth decay, that's not always the case.

Some health conditions, like diabetes, can cause a condition called neuropathy. In neuropathy, the nerves don't function properly throughout the body. This can cause numbness, tingling, and pain. However, it's not always chronic pain. Things like inflammation may make matters worse, intensifying your symptoms at times. This is one possibility, especially if the outside of your tooth doesn't seem to be damaged.

Resorption

In rare cases, a condition called dental resorption can occur. This is particularly problematic because it's invisible from the outside until it becomes truly severe.

Tooth resorption is essentially a malfunction of the body's natural mechanisms. When you're a kid and ready to lose your baby teeth, the body starts absorbing the interior of the tooth and its root so it can fall out. However, this isn't supposed to happen with adult teeth. If the body starts to abnormally absorb the interior of the tooth, the symptoms end up being similar to a bad cavity. Without treatment, the entire tooth could end up falling out or needing to be extracted. Only dental x-rays can properly diagnose this condition early on.

All of these conditions can be treated and improved with help from a dentist, so don't hesitate to reach out for help if you're having pain, no matter how infrequent. For more information, contact a dentist near you.

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