Dental Emergency: Which Tooth is Giving Me The Pain?

During a dental emergency, in cases of tooth-ache and instances of pain, it is always a goal to get things settled as soon as possible. But why does the body play tricks on us, when pain occurs?

In some cases it may feel as if the pain is coming from a top tooth and then a few minutes later the ache is seemingly on the bottom? The trigeminal nerve is a cranial nerve which is the fellow which takes some of the responsibility. Although the cause of pain is often a single source (in some cases it may be more than one issue, but if we consider a single issue) as the pain information is sent back to the body there are branches within the nerve. It is these branches which can cause the body to trick us in some cases; as it can feel like the top tooth and in others a bottom tooth.

The actual ligament around the tooth has a much greater innervation than the pulp and if inflammation is localized around the tooth, it can often be localized by percussion or tapping on the tooth; which is a test to help localize the source of pain.

Referred pain can seemingly becoming from one tooth then moments later another. Through a full history, exam, and special tests, it is often possible to localize the source of pain and treat the cause.