Hello doctor, My upper right one tooth (front tooth) is painful to touch from the front. It is sturdy and does not move at all. It also is not painful to push from the inside out. It does not hurt to bite down at all. It simply hurts to tap the front of the tooth. Any ideas on what this could be?
Hi. Pain on tapping have two differential diagnosis. It could be a sensitive tooth. Enamel of tooth is weak that is why it is having greater amount of sensitivity on touch and pressure. If this is the case then veneering is done on the front surface of the tooth and this complain goes away in a week. The other reason could be there is some infection in the underlying tooth. Periapical, periodontal abscess or infections do not need caries or cavities to cause infection. They occur at root and bone part of tooth and usually occur silently. Once they start to aggravate, they cause such symptoms of pain on tapping only. Get X-ray done of the tooth in question, send me its picture and clinical picture of tooth also. If this is the case then root canal treatment is recommended. Give me its followup once you get radiograph done. Stay happy and blessed. Take care.