21 Nov

Can Tooth Pain Cause Vision Problems?

If you’re experiencing eye pain along with a toothache, the two problems might actually be related. The sensitive nerves in your jaw and eyes are all connected, so a serious toothache can easily affect your eyes. An oral infection can also do some damage. Let’s take a look at how exactly tooth pain can cause vision problems, and what might be causing the toothache in the first place.

How Can Tooth Pain Cause Vision Problems?

A toothache can cause vision problems depending on what’s causing the pain and whether it travels. For instance, a bacterial infection in the mouth and the pain from an irritated nerve can both reach and affect your eyes in different ways. 

Blurred Vision

A tooth or gum infection from bad teeth can cause painful toothaches and lead to facial swelling. If the swelling spreads to your eyelids, it can result in blurred vision and headaches. 

The bacteria causing the infection may also travel to the eyes, which can lead to glaucoma. Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that involve optic nerve damage, which begins with blurred vision. 

Signs of a tooth infection, also known as a tooth abscess, include:

• A constant ache in your jaw, neck, or ear
• Tooth sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
• Pain or discomfort when biting or chewing
• Swollen lymph nodes in the jaw or neck
• Facial swelling
• Bad-tasting and foul-smelling fluid in the mouth 
• Fever

A chronic gum infection, also known as periodontal disease, can cause symptoms such as:

• Bleeding, red, or tender gums
• Gum swelling that may spread to the face
• Tooth sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
• Pain or discomfort when biting or chewing
• Persistent bad breath
• Gum recession
• Teeth that feel loose

If you notice any of these symptoms, even if you aren’t experiencing eye swelling, it’s crucial that you visit your dentist. Gum disease and tooth abscesses can lead to serious dental complications, and the infection can also spread to other parts of the body besides the eyes. Immediate treatment is the best way to preserve your oral health and prevent blurred vision or other problems caused by the infection. 

Eye Pain

If your toothache is caused by an irritated nerve, the intense pain can radiate to your eyes. Knowing what’s causing your nerve pain can help you find relief from both tooth and eye pain. However, nerve pain in the teeth can be caused by a variety of dental issues. 

For example, a chipped or cracked tooth can expose the pulp inside, which is full of sensitive nerves and blood vessels. Chips and cracks in teeth aren’t always obvious, so watch out for these signs:

• A jagged tooth surface
• Your tongue catching against one of your teeth
• Gum irritation around a single tooth
• Tooth pain when biting

Grinding your teeth when you’re asleep or under stress can also cause chipped or cracked teeth. It can also lead to nerve pain by putting too much pressure on your teeth or by wearing down their enamel. Wearing a mouthguard at night can help reduce the effects of grinding to prevent further damage to your nerves.

Nerve damage can also result from significant tooth decay, like large cavities caused by poor oral hygiene. Treating the cavity with a filling or crown will stop the toothache, which should also relieve your eye pain. 

Gum disease is another trigger for nerve pain. If the infection spreads below the gumline, it can affect the tooth’s nerves. Immediate treatment for gum disease will relieve the nerve pain and prevent more severe consequences like tooth and jaw bone loss. 

Tooth Pain Treatment in Gilbert, Arizona

If a toothache is giving you eye pain or vision problems, then treating the cause of the tooth pain will bring you relief. At Lifetime Family Dental in Gilbert, we provide a wide range of dental services that can relieve tooth pain and fight gum disease. Call us at 480-558-4331 today to schedule an appointment. 

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (11/21/2022). Photo by Renaldo Kodra on Unsplash