Quite a few things can make your teeth hurt: pressure - if you have an infection, a loose filling or a cracked tooth; temperature - if you have decay, receded gums or a broken tooth; and movement - often if there is nothing wrong with your teeth or gums.
Usually when head movements or, in severe cases, vibrations cause you dental pain, it's because you have sinus problems. These problems are classified as 'Sinusitis'.
The sinuses are hollows in the cheek bones that give your voice its resonant quality. There's one each side below your eye. The sinuses produce small amounts of fluid to keep them flushed out. This fluid drains into your nose and joins the normal mucus production so that you're not even aware of it - until something happens that stops it draining. Then the fluid builds up in your sinuses and you get pain.
There are many reasons why your sinuses might not be able to drain. The most common is following a head cold. The cold virus causes the lining of your nose to swell and produce more mucus (runny nose) This swelling can squeeze the holes through which the sinuses drain closed so the fluid can't escape.
Other causes of sinus problems include polyps - otherwise harmless growths that block the drainage holes; infection from part of a tooth root that was accidentally pushed into the sinus during an extraction; or sometimes a sinus develops with the drainage hole not at the bottom, so some fluid always remains behind.
Your teeth hurt because the nerves to some of the upper ones run in the floor of the sinus and if trapped fluid is sloshing around against then, it stimulates the nerves and causes pain.
A sure way to check if this is what's causing your problem is to walk heavily down some steps. Does that hurt? Nod your head forward. Does that cause the pain? If so, you have sinus congestion.
Try nasal decongestants. There's a wide range of these available from any pharmacy. Some are in tablet or capsule form and some have to be inhaled. A combination of both usually works best. Ask the pharmacist for advice.
If that doesn't improve things, you should ask your dentist to refer you to a specialist to investigate clearing the blockage.
For more information about keeping your mouth healthy, beautiful and trouble-free, see
Watch Your Mouth
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