Garak-dong Dental Clinic - The Real Cause of Tooth Pain When It’s Cold or Hot

Hello. I’m Shin Seung-hwan, the chief director of Yonsei Uline Dental Clinic, Garak-dong Branch, near Exit 4 of Garak Market Station in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu.

Today, I’d like to talk about one of the most common reasons people visit a dental clinic: toothache.

When patients come in, they often describe it in different ways:

“It hurts when I chew,” “My teeth feel sensitive when I eat sweets,”

“It gives me a sharp pain when I eat ice cream,”

“Hot food is uncomfortable too,” “My teeth feel sensitive when I brush,

and they bleed.”

Because the causes of these toothaches are different,

it is important to understand the cause based on the symptoms.

The most common case is pain and sensitivity to sweets or cold foods.

In these cases, the cause is usually a cavity,

that is, dental caries.

As the tooth decays, the outer structure that was protecting the tooth is damaged,

and the nerve inside becomes more sensitive to external stimuli.

Normally, teeth have the ability to sense temperature stimuli.

Feeling cold as cold and hot as hot is a normal response.

But when the tooth structure breaks down due to decay,

the stimulus is transmitted much faster and more strongly,

and it is felt as pain.

At dental clinics, this condition is called pulpitis.

Simply put, it means inflammation of the tooth nerve.

Pulpitis can be broadly divided into two types.

One is temporary,

and the other is progressive.

If you feel a brief sharp pain after eating something cold,

and it goes away within a few seconds,

it is likely temporary.

On the other hand, if the pain lasts a long time or gradually gets worse,

and it starts to hurt not only with cold but also with hot foods,

it may mean the inflammation has already progressed significantly.

In such cases, simple cavity treatment may not be enough,

and root canal treatment may be needed.

Another thing patients often say is,

“It hurts when tapped,” or “It keeps bothering me when I chew.”

These symptoms are also common when pulpitis has progressed.

In some cases, an X-ray may show that the inflammation

has spread beyond the root of the tooth.

However, not all tooth pain requires immediate treatment.

For example, if the tooth was hit hard while chewing something hard,

or if you fell and bumped your tooth,

the tooth may become temporarily sensitive.

In such cases, rather than treating it right away,

we may observe it for several days, or even up to one or two months.

That is because symptoms can gradually improve,

and in some cases the tooth recovers naturally.

However, if there is already a visibly decayed area,

as in the case of a cavity,

then that area must be removed and filled.

There is also a somewhat unexpected case.

The teeth themselves may not have a problem,

but several upper molars feel uncomfortable when chewing at the same time.

In this case, rather than a tooth problem,

we can suspect sinus inflammation, that is, maxillary sinusitis.

When inflammation develops in the maxillary sinus due to a cold or sinusitis,

its location is very close to the roots of the upper teeth,

so it can feel like tooth pain.

In this case, treatment at an otolaryngology clinic is more important than dental treatment,

such as treatment for sinusitis or rhinitis.

In the end, toothache should not be judged by the single feeling that it hurts.

What matters is when it hurts, how long it lasts,

and what kind of stimulus causes the pain.

Even if it is the same toothache, the cause could be a cavity,

a nerve problem, or even a nasal condition,

so it is most important to identify the symptoms accurately

and get examined at the right time.

This has been Yonsei Uline Dental Clinic, Garak-dong Branch,

near Garak Market Station in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu.