Living with a toothache is never fun. It can disrupt every part of your life, from eating to working. Then, at the end of the day, it can make sleeping almost impossible.
In fact, it’s common for patients who are experiencing a toothache to find that the pain gets worse just as they lay down to go to bed. There are several reasons that this may be the case, but there are also plenty of things that you can do about that.
Why Does My Toothache Hurt More Before Bed?
As strange as it may seem, there are actually a lot of good reasons why you might start to notice more tooth pain just as you lay down to sleep. The first, of course, is mental. When you’re trying to go to bed, there’s nothing to distract you from the way that you’re feeling, which makes the pain harder to manage.
However, there are also some very good physiological reasons at play. A big one is that when you lie down you tend to get a rush of blood to your head; this is a natural product of your heart no longer having to fight against gravity to pump blood upward. When blood goes to your head, it also goes to your mouth, which may exacerbate the swelling that’s causing your tooth to hurt in the first place.
Finally, it could be that you’re one of the millions of Americans who grinds their teeth at night. It’s possible that you may be putting a lot of pressure on your aching tooth without realizing it, which is making it hurt.
What to Do About Nighttime Toothache
First of all, if you haven’t already, you should call a dentist. If your tooth is bothering you there’s likely an underlying oral health condition that needs to be addressed. You might also want to ask this dentist about a nightguard to deal with grinding your teeth at night.
Until then, you can try sleeping with your head elevated. This prevents excess blood flow to the mouth, which may ease your discomfort. Supplement this with over-the-counter pain medicine if you’re still having trouble getting to sleep. And finally, you may want to try sleeping with the TV on or while watching a Youtube video, as this me distract you from how your tooth feels.
About Our Practice
At Smile Fitness Dental Center, we know that teeth aren’t just important tools—they’re also a critical part of your identity. When your smile doesn’t feel right, you don’t feel right. That’s why everyone on our team is so dedicated to helping our patients smile their best and, in a way, become the best version of themselves. No matter what problem you may have, we’ll help you through it and make sure that you come out on the other side better than you were before.
If you have any questions about a toothache, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (623) 849-0477.