24-Hour Dental Care: Why Does My Tooth Hurt More at Night?

Toothaches are unpredictable—however, pain can also manifest even at night. Therefore, before calling a 24-hour dental care service for an urgent care dentist, patients need to know the root causes of toothaches at night. But what factors cause toothaches at night? Here are some of the most common reasons why a tooth hurts more at night.

1. Extrinsic Factors

Simply put, extrinsic factors are the external ones that get in the way of your sleep. In some cases, teeth may cause problems only during the night because of these factors. These can be environmental or physical.

If you’re experiencing a toothache right now, you most likely will still be able to feel it in the morning. A toothache at night is much more intense at night than in the morning, so it’s best to take care of the toothache as soon as possible.

2. Active Blood Flow

Blood flow is typical during the night. When you sleep, the blood flows more actively in the mouth. A toothache in the middle of the night would be more prevalent because of the increased blood flow in the mouth when you sleep.

3. Tissue Pressures

During the daytime, external factors usually keep our jaws, faces, and teeth in place. There are also external factors that keep our jaws, faces, and teeth in place when we sleep, but for some reason, these external factors are not as vital as during the day, which means that our jaws, faces, and teeth are free to move, thus increasing the toothache at night.

A toothache manifests because of added pressure on the gum tissues around the teeth in most cases. The pressure causes pressure on the nerves of the tooth, which manifests as pain. Teeth at night could be more prone to problems than the day because, during the night, you are more prone to be lying on your side, which puts extra pressure on your teeth.

4. Bruxism

Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is another reason a tooth might be hurting at night. People who experience tooth pain at night because of bruxism have a condition called sleep bruxism. Sleep bruxism involves teeth grinding while sleeping. The state could potentially lead to a root canal.

Although it’s something familiar in children and teens, teeth grinding can still wake up people in the middle of their sleep and make them experience sharp pain. Even if it doesn’t affect your sleep, it’s still a problem because it could cause gum, jaw, and tooth issues.

5. Poor Oral Hygiene

Poor oral hygiene can also be why a toothache manifests at night. Standard mouth bacteria cause tooth decay. When you sleep, the mouth bacteria in your mouth also multiply more rapidly. Millions of more bacteria are present in the mouth when you sleep than when you are awake. The increased number of bacteria could be why a toothache may become more painful at night.

Conclusion

Toothaches are inevitable. But that doesn’t mean you should just accept it. If a toothache comes at night, it’s a good idea to visit a dental care service nearby. At least, you can get a night-call dentist in your area who can give you advice and can best diagnose your situation. As long as you take good care of your teeth and put in the effort to maintain a healthy mouth, you should be fine.

Smart Dental Care is a 24-hour dental care clinic with urgent care dentists ready on standby to help patients even in the middle of the night. Our skilled and experienced emergency dentists can help patients feel relief, no matter what dental emergency they may have. Contact us through our website today for all dental needs.