Reasons You May Develop a Numb Tooth

There are few things worse than a painful, throbbing tooth, but having a desensitized tooth that feels nothing is one of them. It could be an underlying sign of more serious problems that the early pain was merely trying to warn you of. There are two major reasons why your incisors might be insensate – injury, or illness.

In Response to Injury

If your tooth has been injured recently, it may become numb temporarily while it heals the damaged site, or it may be numb permanently if the injury was severe enough.

This cause can either be accompanied by sudden bursts of pain, or just a tingling sensation. Neither are desirable or pleasant, and treatment varies depending on key factors. Regardless of the type of injury or how recent it was, you should immediately reach out to us and schedule an appointment so that we can assess the damage and guide you towards recovery.

In Case of Illness

Far more insidious and less easy to detect, your tooth may be going numb (or already be numb) if you have deep damage to the nerves and tissues of your teeth and gums caused by plaque buildup, gum disease, and cavities. Normally preceded by consistent and periodical pain, this type of numbness is caused by either the root of your tooth slowly succumbing to the disease, or in the worst scenario the tooth may already be dead (and potentially the bacteria will spread to healthier teeth now, to renew its food supply.)

If you have any numbness or feel pain in your teeth, please contact us to discuss recovery and treatment options. It is urgent that you seek care promptly, so that we can try to save the tooth, mitigate the damage dealt, and avoid further illness from spreading to others in your mouth.