My teeth and gums are hurting
Pain in both teeth and gums can come from decay, a cracked tooth, inflamed pulp, gum disease, an erupting tooth, grinding, or irritation, and the...
The short answer
Pain in both teeth and gums can come from decay, a cracked tooth, inflamed pulp, gum disease, an erupting tooth, grinding, or irritation, and the pattern determines urgency.
What is the direct answer?
What does this question mean?
Tooth pain often arises from dentine or the pulp inside a tooth, while gum pain comes from inflamed gingiva or periodontal tissues. Cold sensitivity, pain on biting, spontaneous throbbing, bleeding, bad taste, and a single tender tooth help separate possible causes.
What can you do next?
Rinse gently, brush with a soft brush, clean carefully between teeth, and use an over-the-counter pain medicine only if it is suitable for you and used exactly as labelled. Avoid heat on the face, very hot or cold foods, and placing chemicals directly on gums.
When should you seek dental care?
Book dental care soon when pain lasts, returns, disturbs sleep, or is accompanied by bleeding or swelling. Urgent care is needed for facial swelling, fever, pus, trouble swallowing, trouble breathing, or inability to open the mouth normally.
What should you ask the dentist?
Ask whether the pain is pulpal, periodontal, muscular, or referred, and what tests are needed. Ask whether the tooth needs a filling, crown, root canal, extraction, periodontal treatment, or only monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
Can home care fix the underlying problem?
Home care can protect tissue or reduce symptoms, but decay, infection, structural damage, and persistent lesions need diagnosis and treatment.
What information helps at an appointment?
Record when it started, what triggers it, whether it bleeds or swells, and any treatment or product already used.