Why Does the Back of My Mouth Hurt?

When your mouth hurts, it’s hard to ignore the pain. Unlike other body parts you can rest, you use your teeth, gums, tongue, and throat to eat, drink, smile, talk, and yawn!

It’s not surprising that you want to know what’s causing the pain in the back of your mouth — you’re ready to diagnose the culprit and get rid of the problem for good!

The downside of this pain is that it could stem from many different origins. If you’re sure you don’t have a sore throat from allergies or a cold that’s causing your symptoms, the issue could be an oral health-related condition.

Damage or inflammation of the teeth, gums, and jaw can show up as pain in the back of your mouth. Here, we’ll share the 8 most common reasons for pain in your back teeth or gums and how to correct the problem and feel better!

Night Teeth Grinding

If the pain in the back of your mouth seems more localized to your molars and other teeth, you might have a condition called bruxism.

Frequently referred to as teeth grinding, bruxers put stress on their jaw muscles and joints while they sleep by grinding and clenching. This extra pressure on the tooth enamel often leads to problems like:

• Cracked or chipped teeth

• Tooth sensitivity

• Sensitive gums 

Eventually, the damage reaches the delicate temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which is responsible for opening and closing the mouth. An inflamed or dislocated TMJ means mild to severe pain whenever you chew, swallow, yawn, or talk!

Bruxism Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

So what causes this nighttime sleep disorder, and how can you stop the behaviors if you have it? Researchers aren’t sure exactly what triggers a person to brux, but the most common thread seems to be stress or anxiety. 

These two mental health issues cause the brain to produce extra stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. The hormones are released through active movement like exercise or calming activities, such as journaling or meditation. When the hormones aren’t released, they overload the body, and your brain gets rid of them for you through grinding and clenching.

Other causes of bruxism include:

• A misaligned bite

• Excessive use of stimulants

• Tobacco

• Drugs

• Alcohol

• Sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea

How Do You Know If You Have Bruxism?

In addition to the pain in your teeth and gums, you may notice that you’re waking up with headaches. You probably feel like you haven’t slept, even if you’ve been “asleep” for the requisite six to eight hours.

Chances are, if you’ve been grinding for a few weeks or longer, you also have neck pain, facial muscle discomfort, and maybe even earaches.

These are all warning signs of bruxism. Less visible symptoms will show up when you go to your dentist, as they’ll see things you don’t, like worn-down enamel.

Treatment Options for Bruxism

If your dentist diagnoses you with bruxism, they’ll probably recommend a custom-fitted night guard as the first solution. This device is worn at night to keep the upper and lower teeth from touching and to reduce the jaw’s grinding force. It doesn’t stop the behaviors, but it does give your jaw muscles a chance to rest and prevents more damage to your teeth and gums. 

Your dentist can create a custom-fit night guard for you, or you can visit JS Dental Lab for a high-quality, professional, custom-made night guard at a fraction of the cost (and from the comfort of your home).

Shop our night guards now!

To stop bruxing caused by stress or anxiety entirely, try stress management techniques like journaling, yoga, meditation, walks in nature, and relaxation exercises. However, if your grinding is because of a misaligned bite or dental health issues, visit your dentist for a proper treatment plan.

Be sure to let your doctor know if you’ve had persistent symptoms of moderate to severe pain, clicking or popping in the jaw, or changes in your jaw’s range of motion. You may need physical therapy exercises to strengthen or rest the jaw muscles, or a referral to a TMJ specialist.

Wisdom Teeth

When you’re in your teens or slightly older, you may notice a new set of adult teeth coming through at the back of your mouth. These are called your wisdom teeth, but they’re actually a third set of molars.

Your third molars aren’t essential, and they can cause havoc in your mouth, forcing your other teeth to shift and creating overcrowding. Impacted wisdom teeth are blocked by other teeth or covered by the gums, causing pain, swelling, and infection. Food can get stuck in these teeth, leading to tooth decay. 

As your wisdom teeth grow in, your dentist will monitor them (usually through a regular X-ray) for signs of impending problems. If nothing seems amiss, they’ll grow, and caring for them will become a part of your normal dental health regimen. 

But if they’re causing problems or becoming painful, you may need to have them removed. Not all dentists perform oral surgery, though, so expect a referral to an oral surgeon.

Gum Disease

Early gum disease is called gingivitis. At this stage, you may notice signs like sensitivity in your teeth and gums when you brush, and bleeding gums when you floss.

If you pay close attention to your mouth’s appearance, you might see swollen gums; when you touch them, you’ll likely have mild gum pain.

Catching gingivitis early enough can stop it in its tracks. This stage of gum disease is completely reversible with improved oral hygiene care. Saltwater rinses are helpful since they contain an antibacterial agent that can reduce inflammation and dislodge any trapped food particles that are irritating your gums. 

Your dentist can also help clear up the problem with a procedure called scaling and planing, where the hygienist gets under the gums to clean out any pockets of bacteria or debris. This in-office treatment brings your mouth back to a natural stage of prime gum health.

Dangers of Advanced Gum Disease

However, if you ignore these early warnings, gingivitis can become periodontal disease. Called periodontitis, this form of gum disease becomes progressive. As each stage develops, the symptoms are more severe.

You’ll experience side effects like:

• Receding gums

• Infections or abscesses in the gums

• Jaw bone loss

• Toothaches 

Eventually, periodontal disease leads to a weakening of the periodontal ligaments that anchor the teeth to the gums as well as the loss of the jaw bone, both of which cause tooth loss.

Periodontal disease is also linked to an increased risk of developing medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. 

The best way to prevent progressive gum disease is to get regular dental checkups and take care of your teeth and gums. 

If you think your mouth pain is due to poor hygiene and could be gingivitis or periodontitis, visit your dentist as soon as possible. Antibiotics, scaling and planing, and special mouthwashes are common treatments for early gum disease.

Thrush

What is thrush?

If you’ve taken care of babies, you’ve probably heard of this fungus. It’s a common yeast infection that little ones often get in their mouths because of contact with bacteria on bottles and pacifiers. This painful infection shows up as white lesions in the mouth and causes pain in the back of the throat.

But thrush isn’t limited to babies and toddlers. It’s also seen in adults with lowered immune systems or medical conditions like diabetes, HIV, or AIDS. Anyone who wears ill-fitting dentures can also experience thrush.

Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Thrush

Thrush is an infection that occurs in moist parts of the body, like the throat and mouth. It shows up as creamy lesions that you may only notice when you try to swallow and feel pain or when you brush your teeth and see bleeding. Thrush can also cause a loss of taste and burning sensations in the affected area.

Thrush is usually treated with antifungal medication. With treatment, thrush will go away within a couple of weeks and should be harmless. But left untreated or in severe cases, the fungus gets into the bloodstream, which can lead to septic shock.

If you’re at risk for this yeast infection, use a baking soda mouthwash regularly and brush or scrape your tongue daily to eliminate the microorganism buildup in your mouth.

Canker Sores

Sometimes, pain in the back of the mouth comes from a canker sore. These small ulcers appear anywhere in the mouth, usually inside the lips or on the cheeks, gums, or tongue. 

Canker sores can be white or yellow and are encircled by a red outline. When you have one of these ulcers, the pain makes it difficult to move your mouth for eating and talking.

See also: Canker Sores and Stress: Understanding the Connection

Causes and Treatment for Canker Sores

Officially called aphthous ulcers, canker sores can be caused by various factors. For example, if you frequently bite your cheek, lip, or tongue, the trauma can cause sores. 

They’re also caused by certain medications, allergies, stress, and acidic foods. Some people notice canker sores show up after they’ve eaten anything with cinnamon flavoring. If you don’t have a balanced diet, the lack of vitamins can also cause these ulcers.

Unlike their commonly mistaken outer counterparts, fever blisters, canker sores aren’t contagious. They usually go away quickly and can heal on their own. If your sores are painful, look for canker sore mouthwashes, creams, or gels to help relieve the discomfort.

Ill-Fitting Oral Appliances

Do you wear an oral appliance, such as a retainer, night guard, splint, or dentures?

Consistent use of an ill-fitting dental device, including any of those mentioned or anything else you wear in your mouth regularly, might be the culprit of your mouth pain.

Aside from braces or a device specially provided to shift your teeth, nothing you wear should bring discomfort.

But if your appliance doesn’t fit your mouth correctly, it applies pressure to the teeth and gums unevenly. The result?

Soreness in the affected areas due to constant rubbing against the sensitive gum tissue. And since the jaw muscles work extra hard to distribute pressure evenly, you could end up with a misaligned jaw or TMJ disorder.

How to Fix An Ill-Fitting Dental Appliance

Fixing the appliance to ensure it fits your mouth correctly is the first step to solving your mouth pain. But how you fix it depends on the type of appliance: 

Dentures

For example, while you’re adjusting to dentures, it’s not unusual for them to need tweaking. The provider crafting the dentures knows this, and should have added a few appointments for proper fittings into your treatment plan.

Let them know exactly where you’re feeling sensitivity or discomfort. They should recognize the problem and how to fix the dentures to align with your mouth more comfortably.

Retainers

Retainers work similarly if you’ve recently had your braces removed. Your orthodontist should ensure the fit is perfect before sending you on your way to enjoy your newly straightened smile.

But if your teeth have shifted because you haven’t been wearing your retainer and you want to start doing so, you may need to pay to have a corrected retainer made. 

Luckily, you can skip the hundreds of dollars your orthodontist will charge you and use professionals like our technicians at JS Dental Lab. Our impression kits are shipped to your door, making it easy and affordable to start wearing your retainer again before your teeth shift further.

Try our Custom Clear Retainer

Night Guards

Correcting an ill-fitting night guard depends on where you bought it and the type of guard you’re using. Again, if you have a custom-fit guard from your dentist’s office, they should adjust it until it fits correctly and slides over your teeth perfectly. 

An over-the-counter guard isn’t designed for all the nooks and crannies of your smile, and wearing a store-bought night guard can cause your teeth to shift or add pressure to your gums and teeth.

To solve this problem, look for an affordable, high-quality, custom-made night guard. Our multiple styles at JS Dental Lab are professional quality without the expensive price tag.

Hormonal Changes

Puberty isn’t the only time women deal with significant hormone shifts. 

Hormone spikes can occur during menopause, perimenopause, and pregnancy. These adaptations affect the whole body, including the teeth and gums. Referred to as “menopause mouth,” these changes in jawbone density, gum tissue, and tooth enamel lead to discomfort.

Hormones like relaxin, estrogen, and progesterone loosen the bone and tissues. This makes sense in pregnancy, when the body must prepare for a developing baby and childbirth. As women age, similar hormonal changes prepare them for the end of their childbearing years and their new post-menopausal body.

An unexpected side effect of these biological adjustments is that their teeth tend to shift, causing pain.

Treating Hormonal Teeth Shifting

Hormone-related teeth shifting can go on for years while your hormones adjust and settle. During this time, it’s important to follow some preventative measures to minimize how much your teeth shift.

Your doctor can suggest medical or natural ways to manage the fluctuating hormones, but you can control some of their impact by taking care of your teeth.

Increase your daily dental hygiene routine, and visit your dentist regularly so they can watch for signs of shifting and other oral health concerns. Catching these problems early ensures you can nip them in the bud before they become painful and expensive issues.

Bruxism is often a side effect of fluctuating hormones, and this sleep disorder may lead to shifting teeth. Night guards are a simple way to minimize the damage of hormone-related grinding. Consistently wearing your custom-made night guard may also improve your sleep quality, keeping you from waking up during sleep transitions due to clenching and grinding.

Pericoronitis

Pericoronitis is usually linked to wisdom teeth, but it doesn’t have to be. The term refers to any infection of the gums and soft tissue surrounding a tooth that hasn’t fully erupted yet.

As an adult, if you’re dealing with this infection, it’s likely a wisdom tooth. But any time a tooth is growing in, this problem is possible.

In pericoronitis, you’ll notice a red and swollen area around an incoming tooth. You’ll probably have pain when you’re chewing, and that discomfort spreads to the neck, ear, and jaw of the affected side. You may also have swollen lymph nodes and painful gums beyond the immediate teeth surrounding the erupting tooth.

Causes and Treatment for Pericoronitis

Pericoronitis can happen in children as their adult teeth grow in, or when wisdom teeth appear in adults. If there isn’t enough space for the tooth to come in naturally, the soft tissue covering the tooth traps particles of food and other debris, leading to infection.

Treating pericoronitis requires a dental cleaning to remove the debris, followed by an antibiotic and antibacterial rinse for the infection. To minimize the pain at home, try using a warm saltwater rinse, which reduces inflammation and helps flush away some of the trapped debris. Pain relievers like acetaminophen reduce discomfort from sore gums. Using a soft toothbrush with gentle strokes can avoid triggering the pain.

However, if the problem isn’t treated, the symptoms will return. Since it’s an infection, pericoronitis can become dangerous or deadly if it gets into the bloodstream.

Recap

There are many different reasons why you could be experiencing pain in the back of your mouth, teeth, or gums. Visiting your dentist can help you arrive at a proper diagnosis.

If teeth grinding is the cause, a night guard can provide significant relief. Here’s how to order one from JS Dental Lab.