Can Calculus Build-Up Cause Tooth Pain?

[Chess]

About 10 years ago I bit into a sweet and one of my bottom front teeth moved. This caused me to panic and, as a result, I stopped brushing my teeth in that area. Over the years I've built up quite a bit of calculus at and above gum level; for a long time this didn't cause a problem (despite the aesthetic issue of discolouration etc). However since May I have been experiencing intermittent 'nerve' type pains in this area. It comes on totally out of the blue and the pain is never in reaction to food, drink or temperature. It's not like an abscess pain but it's extremely unpleasant and distracting. I am now brushing normally but the pain is not subsiding. Sometimes I can even feel the tartar 'moving' between my teeth. Could this, in theory, be the cause of the pain? I know I don't have an infection because anti-biotics do not touch it.

 

[Steve In Cleveland]

About 10 years ago I bit into a sweet and one of my bottom front teeth moved. This caused me to panic and, as a result, I stopped brushing my teeth in that area. Over the years I've built up quite a bit of calculus at and above gum level; for a long time this didn't cause a problem (despite the aesthetic issue of discolouration etc). However since May I have been experiencing intermittent 'nerve' type pains in this area. It comes on totally out of the blue and the pain is never in reaction to food, drink or temperature. It's not like an abscess pain but it's extremely unpleasant and distracting. I am now brushing normally but the pain is not subsiding. Sometimes I can even feel the tartar 'moving' between my teeth. Could this, in theory, be the cause of the pain? I know I don't have an infection because anti-biotics do not touch it.

Sounds like a good old fashioned cavity to me. Any area of your mouth that isn't getting regular brushing and is exposed to sugars is vulnerable to decay. Calculus buildup is the follow-on to plaque buildup, and also exacerbates further plaque buildup and periodontal disease.

The symptoms you describe could be any number of things, but if you have a deep cavity that's near a nerve, you'll end up with these kind of random shooting pains. No matter what, you should try to get a dentist to have a look, since these things are almost always easier to treat sooner rather than later.

 

[comfortdentist]

You may have a perio-endo lesion. This occurs when the periodontal disease is advanced enough to affect the health of the nerve inside the tooth thus giving you the nerve type pain. Periodontal disease is fairly painless until advanced.

 

[Chess]

Hello all and thank you for your replies. For the past few days I've been flossing between my bottom front teeth and (so far) I've noticed a drastic improvement in the amount of pain I'm getting. It's also not as severe. Of course this could just be a coincidence but I am going to persevere, at least until I have enough cash to get back to the dentist. I don't think I have periodontal disease as, since brushing the teeth correctly, the gum has looked completely normal and has never bled at all at any stage. I'm not entirely sure about gum recession though - the central incisor is half covered with the calculus and seems to be almost disappearing. The tooth next to it has a line of loose yellow tartar all around the bottom and sides. This tooth has been the most painful and I'm wondering if it's the main culprit. The tooth I had extracted just over a fortnight ago is also still killing. I really hate teeth! I wonder if animals have as much trouble as we do?? Just a thought.