Sinus pressure & tooth pain
Why blocked sinuses make upper back teeth ache — and how we tell it apart from a tooth problem.
Overview
The roots of your upper back teeth sit just below the floor of the maxillary sinuses — sometimes only a whisper of bone apart. When a cold, flu or sinus infection inflames the sinus lining, that pressure pushes on the nerves of those roots, and several upper teeth can ache at once.
Clues that point to the sinus rather than a tooth: multiple upper back teeth ache rather than one, the pain worsens when you bend forward or jump, and it came with congestion, a cold or hay fever. A single throbbing tooth, pain on biting one spot, or sensitivity to hot and cold points more towards the tooth itself.
The overlap runs both ways — an infected upper tooth can also inflame the sinus above it. When the picture isn't clear, testing the individual teeth and a 3D scan can show exactly what is going on.
Call your dentist if…
- tooth pain persists after the congestion clears, one tooth becomes the clear culprit, you develop facial swelling or fever, or an ache keeps waking you at night.
Common questions
How can I tell sinus pain from a real toothache?
The pressure feeling is gone but one tooth still hurts — now what?
Can a tooth infection cause sinusitis?
Will antibiotics fix it?
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