Almost everyone suffers from it sometimes: pain when eating sweets. This in itself does not necessarily mean anything serious. It is often temporary, for example, after a dental hygienist or dentist treatment. But there may also be sensitive tooth necks or cavities (caries).

Toothache from eating sweets

Eating sweets can cause toothache. Toothache can always be felt in the back of the mouth, so with the molars. You speak of toothache when you feel the pain in the front of the mouth or before the molars.

Sometimes it is difficult to locate the pain. The pain is there in one place but radiates to the adjacent teeth or molars.

Pain when eating sweets: sensitive teeth, necks

In many cases, pain when eating sweets is caused by sensitive tooth necks. All teeth and molars are covered with a solid layer of enamel. This enamel makes the underlying dentin less vulnerable. This way, the many small channels running toward the pulp are well protected.

The enamel can wear off over the years. Also, the gums may recede, often due to gingivitis. This exposes the dentin. This causes sensitive tooth necks.

Treatment of sensitive tooth necks

Eating sweets stimulates the nerves in the small channels. You can reduce pain complaints by closing the channels. You have special toothpaste for this. But the dentist can also use a special varnish that is applied to the sensitive necks of the teeth. This varnish lasts longer and therefore has a long-lasting effect.

Cause: cavities or caries

Bacteria in dental plaque form acid from sugars. This acid is harmful and affects the enamel. Those who eat a lot of sugar increase the risk of cavities (caries). This often occurs in the grooves of teeth and molars.

Known symptoms of cavities are pain when eating sweet or sour food and pain when hot and cold. If a hole is not treated, it can lead to a toothache or a root tip infection. In severe cases, one or more teeth or molars are lost.

You can recognize a hole by a black well surrounded by a white twilight. The dentist sees this with the naked eye, but it can also be visible on an X-ray.

Treatment: filling the hole

In the case of a hole, the affected part is ground away. Then the tooth surface is dried. The hole is filled with a composite and then neatly finished. Filling a cavity can be sensitive, so you often get a local anesthetic. As a result, the treatment itself is not painful.

In general, white tooth filling takes between 15 and 30 minutes. The treatment will take longer if it concerns a large or difficult-to-reach filling or the filling of several teeth.

Other causes of pain when eating sweets

Sensitive tooth necks, erosion, and cavities are the most common causes of pain when you eat sweets. Are there other causes? A persistent, dull, or stabbing pain often indicates deeper inflammation. You then not only have pain when eating sweets but at all times, even if you don't eat anything at all.

It is important to go to your dentist in Arlington, VA,  as soon as possible with pain complaints. He looks for the cause and draws up a treatment plan. This prevents pain complaints that worsen or the loss of teeth or molars.