Unexplained toothache? It might be due to seasonal allergies.

You probably know It’s that time of year again–allergy season. But did you know that allergies can cause dental issues?

The symptoms
We’ve been seeing a lot of toothaches lately due to sinus inflammation from seasonal allergies. Symptoms are most commonly localized to the maxillary (upper) premolars and molars. You may have been feeling toothache symptoms on teeth without a reason to hurt, including hypersensitivity to cold, pain on biting, sensitivity to tapping, and throbbing sensations. While it is true all of these symptoms mimic an infected tooth, they also are indicative of sinus pressure.

What you should do
Early spring-like conditions have led to an increase in seasonal allergies, in turn some of these allergies can increase inflammation in the sinus membrane leading to generalized pain in upper premolars and molars. However these symptoms generally manifest with the typical seasonal allergy symptoms, so if you don’t have your normal seasonal allergy symptoms you may want us to take a closer look.

Treatment
Once you have seen your dentist and ruled out a tooth infection, you can treat the symptoms. In order to treat sinus congestion and pressure to relieve tooth pain, you must eliminate the congestion which causes the pressure. A good trio of medications often recommended to treat these symptoms are:

1. Antihistamine (Claritin, Allegra, Benadryl)
2. Decongestant (Pseudofed, Claritin-D)
3. Topical Nasal Spray- (Afrin)

Please be sure to visit your general practitioner or family doctor to make sure these medications are safe for you. If toothache symptoms don’t resolve, be sure to revisit your dentist for a reevaluation and/or referral to a specialist.

The bottom line
Your toothache might not actually be a problem with your teeth. But even if you think these symptoms might be due to allergies, you should still come in and see the dentist to rule out actual tooth problems like decay, abscess, etc.

Call us to schedule an appointment! 541-548-8175.