Magazine Health Books. To send a link and summary of this article to a friend, click here . Your tooth may ache for any number of reasons.
Women seem to have eating habits custom-made for the plaque attack.
For the next 20 minutes or more, acid forms. If your teeth and gums are susceptible, you could be on your way to a cavity, gum disease or an abscess, all of which can cause a toothache. Pick up the phone, call your dentist and ask for an immediate appointment. The hints offered here are meant to get you through the night until you're safely in the dentist's chair and are not intended as a substitute for medical attention. Sometimes a tiny piece of food, like a popcorn hull, can get trapped under your gum line, causing pain and an eventual abscess, says Heidi K. Hausauer, D.D.S., instructor of operative dentistry at the University of the Pacific Dental School in San Francisco and spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.