I Have Severe Pain In My Upper Jaw. Is It A Cavity?
Posted on 12/5/2022 by Evan
Cavities can start out small, but if they aren't treated and filled, they can continue to grow. If you're having jaw pain, you may have a cavity, or you may have something else that's wrong with your jaw. Here are some things to look out for if you are experiencing jaw pain.
How Cavities Can Grow Into a Bigger Problem
Cavities are actually caused by bacteria. These bacteria can always be found in your mouth, and they actually perform a great service, helping your system digest and break up food to travel to your digestive tract. However, if you don't brush and floss your teeth regularly, that bacteria can begin to eat away at your tooth enamel. If you visit the dentist regularly, they will be able to find and fix your cavity. However, if you don't get your cavity fixed, it will continue to grow.
Eventually, the cavity can grow large enough to make it to the center of your tooth, which is called the pulp. Your tooth pulp is soft and squishy, because it is full of blood vessels, tissue, and nerves. If the cavity penetrates the pulp, it will infect the pulp, which can cause a lot of pain for you. At this stage, a dentist can perform a root canal on that tooth to save it. In a root canal, the dentist cuts a hole in the top of your tooth to extract the infection and treat the tooth with antibiotics. You will then get a crown to cover the tooth and protect it from infection.
If you don't get the cavity treated in time, it can continue to grow and infect other teeth around the infected tooth. You can also develop a severe infection, called an abscess. If you have a severe infection, you can run a fever, and you can experience severe pain. You will need to have that abscess treated as soon as possible.
Precision Dental Specialties, 754 S Main St, Suite 5, St. George, UT 84770; 435-522-5629; precisionstg.com; 12/8/2024; Key Phrases: oral surgeon St. George UT;