Causes of Toothache

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You get toothache when the pulp in the middle of the tooth is inflamed (pulpitis). This can be caused by lots of different things:

dental decay (carries);
cavities (holes) in the hard surface of the tooth;
pulpitis â€“ inflammation (swelling) of the pulp in the middle of a tooth;
a fracture (crack) in the tooth. This is often so small that it cannot be seen;
pain after some types of dental treatment, such as a filling. This sometimes happens if the tooth pulp is irritated;
an exposed tooth root, which can occur if the gums move back or are damaged by brushing the teeth too hard;
sensitive teeth. The gums move back from the teeth, leaving softer, more sensitive parts of the teeth exposed.

Other conditions can cause symptoms that are similar to toothache, even though the teeth arenâ€™t affected:

an abscess in the gum (lateral periodontal abscess);
ulcers on the gums (acute ulcerative gingivitis);
sore or swollen gums around a tooth that is breaking through, such as when your wisdom teeth start to come through; and
inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis), which can cause pain around the upper jaw.

Teething in babies and young children can cause toothache. This starts at around 6 months and can continue as all the adult teeth start to come through.