Toothaches can be so painful!
Most times, you should call your dentist when experiencing tooth pain. But did you know that sinusitis (sinus infection) sometimes feels like a toothache?
Sinuses are the cavities behind the cheeks, eyes, nasal bones and forehead. Their function is to filter and warm the air you breathe in and to make it moister. Sinuses also create “empty” space in our skulls to lighten the weight of our heads.
Sinuses do occasionally get infected. There are very small holes that connect the sinuses to your nasal passages. These can easily become plugged. When this occurs, the sinuses can’t drain properly. Mucus accumulates. As a result, your head begins to feel heavy and pain radiates to all of the areas that the sinuses touch due to the increased pressure.
Typically, a sinus-related toothache is bilateral, which means you feel it on both sides of your face. Also, normally when you have a toothache, if you bite down, your pain will increase a lot! But, when you have a sinus infection, this does not occur. Biting down doesn’t make your pain worse.
Other Symptoms of sinusitis:
- pain or pressure in your face
- headache pain that worsens when you move your head
- productive cough (where you cough up phglegm), particularly bothersome in the morning and at night
- green or yellow mucus
- stuffy nose
- fever
- bad breath (halitosis)
