Swelling, cavities, as well as impacted molars, can hurt your ear, and this can result to an earache. A swollen or an abscessed tooth is usually a pocket of pus which can form in diverse parts of your tooth due to a bacterial infection. It is, at times, referred to as a dental abscess. If you have an abscessed tooth, it can cause moderate to serious pain, which can, now and then, spread out to neck or your ear, causing an earache.
There is some relationship between toothaches and earaches, and this is mostly as a result of the fact that the sinuses are situated very near to the back top teeth. As a result, any pain or pressure in the sinuses can have an effect on these teeth and thus create the false impression that your tooth is painful when it might actually be your ear.
What Causes A Toothache That Can Also Cause An Earache?
Decay is often regarded as the major cause of toothache. Inflammation of the tooth can occur when a cavity develops and go unnoticed. The rot gets down to the soft tissue of the tooth in the gum. Bacteria infection and decay may cause inflammation of the gum and the soft tissues.
The soft tissues and the gum contain nerve endings of the teeth, and that is the main cause of pain. Other causes of toothache include Dental Gum disease, tooth trauma, an abnormal bite, Infection, and bruxism (grinding teeth).
All of these cause a toothache that can also cause an earache.
Occasionally, earache and toothache may be related and also have overlapping traits. Therefore to know the difference between the two, it is vital to distinguish the causes and symptoms of each:
Symptoms of Toothache include:
- Pain may be sharp, throbbing, and continuous.
- To some people, tooth pain may results when strain is applied on the tooth, for instance, biting a hard thing.
- Inflammation around the tooth
- Headache or Fever
- Disgusting drainage from the infected tooth
- A bad smell (odor) from the mouth
- Achiness and softness around the tooth
- Excruciating pain and sensitivity on the tooth when you consume cold or hot foods and drinks
Symptoms of Earache include:
- A sudden continuous sharp pain or a dull pain
- Sharp, throbbing pain with warm drainage from the ear canal
- Muffled hearing
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Headache
- Ear drainage
- Sinuses
- Nausea
- A sense of fullness in the ear
- Tugging or pulling at the ear
- Fever
How Can You Tell Which Is The Primary Problem?
Having an earache or a toothache can be painful and irritating. However, if you fail to know how to recognize whether you are having earache or a toothache, it can be even more painful and irritating. If you fail to know, the difference between these two aches might lead to the wrong diagnosis hence wrong treatment. As a result, neither of them will be treated properly.
As mentioned earlier, the location of your sinuses is in near proximity to your backside top teeth. As a result, any sinus pain or pressure can have an effect on the roots of back teeth, which provide the false impression that your tooth is painful. Noting the difference between a toothache and ear pain is not at all times simple to identify.
Here are a few tips that can help you know the difference:
- If you have been having symptoms of flu or cold, it is much probable that you got an earache, sinus or an infection.
- A headache is most commonly linked with leading to having an earache more than a toothache.
- Allow your health history dictate, meaning that if you have been susceptible to earaches in your past rather than toothaches, you are most likely having earache again (and vice-versa).
- Seek medical advice from your personal dentist. They can take right X-rays along with other tests that will determine whether you have a toothache or not.
When Should I See the Dentist about This Pain?
Though the majority of the causes of ear and tooth pain can be treated easily, they require to be taken care of as fast as possible to avoid further harm. You should not wait until your tooth pain advances.
While many of the causes of tooth pain are not harmful, some can be very serious and might be harmful to your health if they are not treated. Your dentist will carry out a full oral check-up to find out the location as well as the cause of the toothache. The dentist will also look for any signs of redness, swelling, and the extent of the tooth damage.
She or He might also request X-rays to look for evidence. You are supposed to also seek out instant medical attention if you experience severe pain that stops all of a sudden. See your doctor straight away to get treatment and to also rule out anything more serious. This might be a sign of rupturing your eardrum.
Both the experiences of having a toothache or an earache are undesirable pains. It is vital to recognize which illness you are suffering from for you to receive the right treatment and care.
In Summary
When you know the dissimilarity between the symptoms as well as the causes of each, you will be able to easily understand the kind of pain that you are experiencing. At all times, seek medical assistance from your dentist if you got any questions or when you want a more solid diagnosis.
Keep in mind that the most excellent way to find out the origin of your pain is to visit a skilled medical practitioner. Ensure that you have seen your dentist straight away if you are diagnosed with a toothache. Your dentist will be able to know whether it is your teeth that are to blame by slowly hitting on a tooth or the gum to see whether it is sore.
