Pain in front tooth! :(

[Littlemissworry93]

Hi,
So I'm really freaking out right now. On and off for a week now I've had a pain in my front tooth, the first time it happened I was using my electric toothbrush so I stopped and the pain went for a few days I braved using my electric toothbrush again on Tuesday but the pain came back and I've had the pain on and off since then it kept me up all night but it went away for a bit and it's now come back. I went to the dentist on Monday she checked my teeth and said they looked healthy, she did not do an X-ray but hopefully will be getting one soon as I'm now registered with a new dentist as the one I saw on Monday was awful.
The pain isn't unbearable but sometimes when I breathe in I get a pain. It's similar to when you drink something really cold but a bit duller. I've noticed it in a couple of other teeth as well but mainly my front one. I'm very worried this could be a cavitiy or a cracked tooth or something that could lead to losing my tooth. I'm sweating so much because of the worry of it. I also had to go to the emergency dentist last month because I had swollen gums and got diagnosed with gingitivis. My manual toothbrush as well also feels a bit stiff and has cut my gums to ribbons :( anyone able to help? Very worried. Going back to the dentist on 23rd June anyway for a check up with my new dentist but really need some help as my anxiety has gone through the roof.

[rsanchez]

Do get x-rays on those teeth. It does sound like it could be a cavity, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll lose the tooth. Only the dentist can tell you for sure.

[MyNameIsTerry]

A dentist is very good at assessing teeth just from an examination and unless you have damaged it to chip it or break it, I think there would have been signs of wear that would have made her say there could be a later issue (they usually like pointing those things out).

So, could it be that your toothbrush has caused some inflammation and its not actually tooth related but the nerve is picking up some pain due to that? With you having gingivitis recently it seems possible that your gums would be sensitive right now.

[Giraffe11]

Get some sensodyne and rub it on the tooth with your finger, massage it in.

Best time is to try it before bed - any other advice needed just shout, I'm a hospital dental nurse.

I only ever use a soft children's toothbrush by the way, small enough to get into all the nooks and crannies and gentle to not damage gums :)

[Littlemissworry93]

Thanks for the responses. I have been meaning to try the sensodyne just on the problem tooth but keep forgetting! I will definitely pick up a children's toothbrush, I only have a small mouth and teeth anyway so maybe that's why I struggle to brush properly haha.
My teeth overall do look very healthy and white, I do need 4 fillings on my back teeth at either side and haven't felt any pain in them until the dentist pointed them out! My front tooth doesn't seen to be too bad today the pain comes and goes, I have noticed these past few days I've been clenching my front teeth quite hard when I wake up in the mornings.

Giraffe11 do you think clenching and grinding could be the cause of the pain? Like I said it comes and goes and I think it comes on more throughout the day when I've been grinding as my grinding is a bit more active during the day and I tend to clench when I'm sleeping at night.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Clenching & grinding can cause jaw pain, feelings of toothache, headaches (you will feel the muscles around your temples also tense when you clench), pain up the side of the face and some people have some neck pain with it.

There is a thread here where I added an exercise my dentist gave me and there is a link to a book to book which will show you how to use trigger point massage to help with this issue:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=166483

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=169782

[ricardo]

It could be nerve pain from the root.Get an X ray done to be on the safe side. This pain can be intermittent as opposed to constant.

[Giraffe11]

Yes it could be causing it hun - speak to your dentist about a night guard for bruxism if it's the case. He should be able to tell by looking at your teeth if you're grinding ...

X rays definitely though.