Non stop toothache
Persistent tooth pain often reflects decay, pulp inflammation, a crack, or infection and should be assessed rather than masked.
The short answer
Persistent tooth pain often reflects decay, pulp inflammation, a crack, or infection and should be assessed rather than masked. Pain that lingers after hot or cold, starts spontaneously, or wakes you can indicate inflamed pulp inside the tooth.
What is the direct answer?
What does this question mean?
The dental pulp contains nerves and blood vessels inside the enamel and dentin. Irritation can result from caries, a leaking filling, trauma, a cracked cusp, exposed root dentin, or pressure from an abscess.
What can you do next?
Book an examination and record what triggers the pain, how long it lasts, and whether biting changes it. The dentist may inspect the tooth, test cold or tapping response, check the bite, and use radiographs to plan a filling, crown, root canal, or extraction when needed.
When should you seek dental care?
Arrange urgent dental care for facial swelling, fever, pus, a broken tooth, or pain with difficulty swallowing or breathing. Severe pain that is not controlled by the label directions for a suitable pain medicine also warrants prompt assessment.
What should you ask the dentist?
Ask whether the pulp is inflamed or infected, whether the tooth can be restored, which imaging and tests support the diagnosis, and what temporary measures are appropriate until definitive treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a tooth hurt continuously?
Continuous pain can occur when pulp inflammation is advanced or when infection creates pressure around the root.
Can pain medicine cure the tooth?
Pain medicine can reduce symptoms but does not repair decay, a crack, or infected pulp.