Understanding the Connection Between Toothaches and Ear Pain
It may come as a surprise that a sore, aching tooth can radiate pain all the way to your ears. However, the nerves that service various parts of your head and neck area are all interconnected. This means inflammation from dental issues can travel along nerve pathways into nearby structures, like the ears.
More specifically, the trigeminal nerve is responsible for providing sensation to your teeth. This same nerve also has branches leading to parts of your ears. So if a decaying tooth, dental abscess, cracked tooth or other oral problem triggers your trigeminal nerve, you may feel referred pain or pressure in your ears.
Common Dental Problems that Cause Ear Pain
Here are some of the most frequent culprits of tooth-related earaches:
- Tooth decay or infection - Bacteria penetrate through layers of your tooth down to the nerve.
- Abscesses - Pus builds up in infected tooth roots or gums, putting pressure on surrounding nerves.
- Damaged fillings - Cracked dental fillings expose underlying sensitive tooth tissue.
- Bruxism - Forceful tooth grinding strains nerves and tissues.
- Wisdom tooth growth - Emerging wisdom teeth stretch nerves located in the back of your jaw.
Quick Ways to Alleviate Ear Pain from Tooth Trouble
While only a dentist can diagnose and permanently resolve the underlying tooth issue, you can temporarily ease correlated ear discomfort in the meantime with these home remedies:
Use Hot or Cold Therapy
Applying something hot or cold against your aching ear can blunt nerve signals, providing fast relief. Try the following applications for 5-10 minutes several times a day or as needed:
- Heating pad set to low/medium against the ear
- Warm cloth soaked in hot water and wrung out
- Ice wrapped in thin towel
- Bag of frozen vegetables like peas
Take Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
Medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve) can temporarily dull your tooth-related ear discomfort. Follow dosage instructions on the bottle.
Try Topical Analgesics
Applying creams, gels, sprays or medicated patches containing pain-relieving ingredients like lidocaine, benzocaine, menthol or capsaicin around the outside of your ear or just inside the outer ear canal entrance can provide some relief. Various dental-specific topical analgesic products exist for gum/tooth numbing as well.
Swish Hydrogen Peroxide
The bubbling sensation of hydrogen peroxide has a mild numbing effect. Mix a cap full of 3% hydrogen peroxide into a small glass of warm water. Take a mouthful and swish near the problematic tooth for 30 seconds, then spit out. Repeat with the remainder of the cups contents.
Try Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is a traditional remedy claimed to draw out toxins. As oil swishes around your mouth, the hope is it will pull out compounds aggravating dental nerves. Put about a tablespoon of sesame, coconut or olive oil (avoid lighter fluids like water) into your mouth and swish for 5-10+ minutes before spitting out.
When to See a Dentist for Ear Pain
While the above conservative measures may temporarily lessen ear pain from a tooth problem, dental treatment is essential not only for symptom relief but also to fix the underlying issue, prevent complications like infections spreading and save your tooth from eventual loss.
Its especially urgent to seek prompt professional care if you experience:
- Extreme, sudden tooth pain
- Facial swelling around tooth
- Bleeding gums
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Sensitivity to hot/cold around the tooth
- Breakage or chipping of a tooth
- Fever or illness-like symptoms
See an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist right away if the ear pain:
- Starts without an obvious tooth issue
- Persists for over two weeks
- Is accompanied by ear drainage
- Causes hearing loss, ringing or dizziness
- Doesnt improve with good dental treatment
Treatments a Dentist Can Provide for Tooth and Ear Pain Relief
To not only alleviate associated ear pain but also fix the underlying tooth trouble, your dentist has many effective therapies at their disposal, including:
Medications
Stronger prescription-strength pain or antibiotic medications may be needed for infection or severe dental nerve inflammation treatment.
Root Canal Therapy
If tooth decay reaches the inner pulp and infects the root, your dentist will drill into the tooth, clear out the infected pulp then fill and seal it to save the tooth.
Tooth Extraction
When a tooth is too damaged to save, your dentist will surgically remove it to get rid of the problematic source of pain and infection.
Crown or Filling
Cracked or damaged parts of a restorable tooth can be repaired with bonded composite fillings, inlays, onlays or full coverage dental crowns.
Bite Adjustments
If a poor bite alignment is causing strain and subsequent inflammation of tooth nerves and tissues, your dentist can adjust occlusion for correcting fit.
Desensitizing Treatments
For milder cases of tooth sensitivity and nerve reactivity, topical agents like gels, pastes or varnishes can be brushed onto sensitive areas.
Steroid Injections
In some scenarios, injecting anti-inflammatory corticosteroids near inflamed nerves can offer fast relief.
Nightguards and Mouth Splints
Custom dental guards worn over the teeth during sleep cushion them to prevent grinding damage and irritation of nerves.
Dental Splint Therapy
Splints can stabilize loose, cracked or injured teeth to prevent movement that disturbs sensitive inner dental nerves.
Drain Dental Abscesses
If pus is building up in infected gums or tooth roots, your dentist will surgically open and drain it to relieve pressure on surrounding tissues.
Anesthetic Injections
Injections with long lasting anesthetic agents can numb problem teeth prior to procedures. The numbness can grant extended pain relief even afterwards.
Tips for Preventing Future Toothaches and Ear Pain
While occasional tooth and ear pain flare ups are hard to avoid completely, you can reduce frequency and severity through improving your oral hygiene routine with these preventative tips:
Brush and Floss Regularly
Daily brushing and flossing removes decay and infection causing dental plaque that irritates tooth nerves.
Use Antimicrobial Rinses
Swishing daily with antibacterial mouthwashes creates a clean oral environment unfriendly to bacteria.
Eat Less Sugary Foods
Limiting sugary and acidic drinks and snacks reduces tooth decay risk, as sugar feeds damaging oral bacteria.
Stay on Top of Dental Work
Getting issues like small cavities or cracked teeth fixed early before they become more involved prevents flare ups.
Wear Night Guards if Grinding
Custom nighttime teeth grinding guards cushion force and distribute strain.
Monitor Fillings and Crowns
Repairing broken or defective restorations minimizes risk of sensitivity episodes.
Get Regular Dental Cleanings
Hygienist cleanings every 6 months prevent buildup of irritating dental plaque and tartar.
In the case of sudden, severe toothaches also causing ear pain, try the at-home relief tricks while promptly seeking professional dental attention. Permanent relief and stopping repeat discomfort almost always requires diagnosing and treating the origin tooth trouble.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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