There’s nothing like a bad toothache to ruin your favorite burger at Sugar Salt Sand. When you feel pain in your teeth, your brain probably shoots straight to a cavity or cracked tooth. While that’s a reasonable assumption, some tooth pain doesn’t originate in the mouth at all. One possible culprit you might not have considered is a sinus infection.
How Do Sinus Infections Cause Tooth Pain?
Your upper back teeth have roots extending to the sinus cavities—a set of air-filled pockets behind the face. When you have a sinus infection, the tissues in your sinuses become inflamed. Along with uncomfortable facial pressure, congestion and earaches, that inflammation can spread to the teeth via the roots, causing an aching pain[1].
The sinus-tooth connection works both ways. You may have a tooth infection that causes pain or inflammation in your sinuses.
Signs That Your Tooth Pain is Sinus-Related
You can identify sinus-related tooth pain by the type and location of the pain. Sinus-related pain will present as a dull ache, as if you’ve got an ill-fitted retainer pressing on the teeth, rather than the sharp feeling of a cracked tooth or cavity. You will also notice that the pain is only in the upper back, most likely spreading across multiple teeth.
Additionally, other sinus symptoms, like congestion and facial pain, will likely present with sinus-related tooth pain.
Should I See a Dentist or an ENT Specialist?
Tooth pain can indicate serious issues that a dentist needs to address. If your tooth pain is sharp, located in a single tooth or in teeth outside the upper-back region, you should schedule an appointment with your dentist pronto.
If your tooth pain is dull, restricted to the upper back, spread across multiple teeth or accompanied by sinus symptoms, give us a call. We can examine your sinuses and recommend a few treatment options. If you don’t get a lot of sinus infections, we’ll likely suggest decongestants and home remedies like nasal irrigation and warm compresses.
If your sinus infections are frequent or prolonged (longer than 12 weeks), we’ll walk you through other routes like Balloon Sinuplasty or functional nasal endoscopic sinus surgery that will help prevent future infections.
Call us at Alpine Ear Nose & Throat PC to schedule your sinus consultation.
[1] Mayo Clinic Staff. (2023, March 7). Sinus infection and toothache: Any connection? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acute-sinusitis/expert-answers/toothache/faq-20058299