There are a variety of reasons why you could be having tooth pain. The primary cause of pain is large cavities that have extended into the nerve space and have started to cause an infection inside your tooth. Another source of dental pain stems from the gum tissue. Chronic gum disease can lead to worsening infections that ultimately cause an abscess in your gum tissue. Clenching/grinding and other sources of tooth trauma are also a common source of dental pain. It is important to address dental pain as soon as possible to ensure that there is no current infection, or if there is, to treat it before it progresses. Dental infections will ultimately spread to surrounding tissues and can cause a multitude of problems and have a great impact on your overall systemic health.