Tooth pain at high altitude on airplane?

Question

When I fly, i get shooting pains in a certain area of my mouth. It's similar to the pain you get if you have a cavity and a metal utensil touches that tooth. It makes flying extremely unpleasant. I read that some people can experience this and that its similar to the pain some people get when they go deep sea diving. The pain starts about 20 minutes after take off and goes away as the plane starts to descend. Does anyone else experience this and know what the problem might be?

Answer 1

You could have an abscess. What you describe is very common with pressure changes. Go to your dentist and tell him about the problem and let him/her take an x-ray and so on.

Answer 2

It sounds as though you have an air pocket in your tooth; it could easily have happened if you had dental work on that particular area of your mouth. Alternatively, if you have a cavity or an abcessed tooth, the change in air pressure can affect the tissues, and you will feel pain until you descend. If you've had work done on the tooth, contact your dentist and tell him what's going on; the air pocket needs to be eliminated.

Answer 3

I get this too! In my case I have had a lot of dental work as an adult that we couldn't afford growing up, consequently, I have some really big fillings. Mine doesn't bother me so much as you describe, but I am aware of it.

I don't get it scuba diving, though I do have trouble clearing out my ears to equalize pressure. I wonder if the size of the Eustachian tube may make a difference? See if this site helps.
http://www.medicinenet.com/eustachian_tube_problems/article.htm

Answer 4

I travel for a living have the same problem, mine starts as a horrible headache then goes to my teeth, it's one of the worst feelings i've had in my life. I find that cleaning my ears and taking a sudafed help A LOT.

Answer 5

Pressure same as ear popping