Why does my tooth hurt when I eat?

Various issues can cause a tooth to hurt during eating. If any dental work such as fillings or crowns was recently done, the restoration could be high, such that each time the teeth come into contact, that particular restoration is coming into contact first.

Over time, the tooth becomes bruised from hitting first consistently and can feel sore when chewing. To fix this issue, contact your dentist and request a bite adjustment so that all your teeth can come together evenly.

Cracks in teeth can also cause pain upon chewing. As we eat, our teeth come together and grind side-to-side to tear our food up. This coming together and grinding can cause the cracked tooth to flex, leading to pain.

Depending on the extent of the crack in the tooth, the treatment can be as simple as a crown, to as involved as root canal therapy followed by a crown for protection.

Lastly, pain upon chewing can indicate infection at the base of the tooth root, since the act of chewing generates force down the long axis of the tooth.

Usually, infection at the base of the root indicates a dead nerve within the tooth. This dead nerve and bacteria mix has traveled down the root canal to cause infection at the base of the root.

Treatment to resolve this problem generally involves root canal therapy followed by a crown in order to clean out the infected dead nerve so the tooth can recover and heal.

If you have any further questions about why your teeth hurt during eating, please feel free to ask us here, or call us at (469) 251-2888 to schedule an consultation appointment.