Waking up in the morning is already a hard enough ordeal, but imagine having dental pain on top of that. If your teeth hurt when you wake up, it could be due to multiple reasons. We look forward to waking up fresh in the mornings, ready to take the day by storm. Hence, carry on reading if, instead, you’re left questioning, “Why do my teeth hurt when I wake up?”
Reasons Why Your Teeth Hurt When You Wake Up
Experiencing tooth pain in the morning can hint at many conditions and issues. For instance, grinding your teeth at night could result in tooth pain in the morning. Nevertheless, bruxism is not the only culprit behind your morning dental pain. Your dentist can suggest the best way to eliminate the cause after they have diagnosed it.
Here are some possible causes that might result in your teeth hurting upon waking up:
1. You Indulge in Jaw Clenching or Teeth Grinding
You may not know you do it, but a lot of individuals clench their jaw or grind their teeth during nighttime. Usually, stress causes you to grind your teeth while sleeping. Also known as bruxism, this habit can lead to tooth pain when you wake up.
Dentists usually suggest wearing mouthguards when sleeping to avoid the harm that bruxism can lead to. Moreover, managing stress or the underlying cause of teeth grinding might help eliminate the issue.
2. You Have Gum Disease
Your gums might start pulling back due to factors like aging, gum disease, harsh brushing, and more. Since these factors leave your teeth roots exposed, the likelihood of infection increases. Moreover, plaque buildup due to poor brushing can also lead to gum recession. Therefore, your teeth might hurt when you wake up due to gum disease.
3. Your Sleeping Position
It’s possible that your sleeping position is the cause of your morning dental pain. Thus, sleeping with your hand under your jaw, especially if you wear bracelets, can result in tooth pain after waking up. To avoid uncomfortable positions, use an elevated pillow and remove any jewelry prior to sleeping.
4. You Have an Impacted Tooth
Impaction is when your tooth does not erupt through the gum line. A partially or fully impacted tooth occurs when your mouth doesn’t have enough space. Hence, crowded teeth, genetics, and other factors can cause an impacted tooth. If your wisdom tooth is impacted, it’s possible that your dentist will recommend tooth extraction to remove it.
5. You Have a Cavity
It’s possible you don’t have dental pain in all your teeth, but your complaint is, ‘one tooth hurts when I wake up.’
A cavity can make one of your teeth hurt after you wake up in the morning. Moreover, it extends to the inner layer of the tooth if you don’t receive cavity treatment. Thus, make sure you know what a cavity looks like. As there are different stages of tooth decay, your tooth pain can depend on how advanced the decay is. You might need a root canal treatment if your tooth pulp is infected and needs to be removed.
What’s Next?
Bruxism, cavity, gum disease, impacted tooth, and sleeping are some of the reasons that can cause dental pain in the morning. Hence, visit a reliable dentist, like our experts at Dynamic Dental Solutions, if your teeth hurt in the morning when you wake up. Contact us at (281) 837-9090. You can also visit our dental office at 1410 Cedar Bayou Rd, Baytown, TX 77520, a three-minute walk from Battery Warehouse of Baytown.