Pain when you bite down is your tooth trying to tell you something. The most common causes range from cracked teeth to infection, and knowing when to call the dentist is important.
Pain on biting is one of the most meaningful symptoms in dentistry. Unlike fleeting sensitivity to cold water or sweets, pressure pain usually points to a specific, physical problem, and most of the causes do not get better on their own.
Dr. Hoffman is a friendly individual and readily answers can't questions you may have. His office staff are all friendly. One in particular,Meaghan, has learned to put up with the grumpy old guy from Illinois. I would recommend you give these people a try for your special needs relative.
Response from the owner:Thank you for the kind words and recommendation! We’re so glad to hear you’ve felt welcomed and well cared for by Dr. Hoffman and our team. And we’ll be sure to let Meaghan know she’s doing a great job putting up with our “grumpy old guy from Illinois!”
The Best Dental Office In St Louis! Thanks for keeping my pearly whites shining! … back again and they always do a great job and make me feel comfortable! They have an exceptional staff who are friendly and also very good at their jobs!!
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you always feel comfortable and well cared for. Our team truly appreciates your kind words!
The practice is top notch. Could not ask for better care. Wish dental care was more affordable.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re grateful for your feedback and are proud to provide high-quality care in a supportive environment.
The best staff for dealing with my level 3 non verbal autistic son. Very understanding and supportive.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad our team could provide a supportive and understanding experience. Your feedback means so much to us!
Dr Thoms is the best. He and his team are very attentive and extremely dedicated to the dental care for our special needs son
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your recognition of Dr. Thoms and our team. Providing compassionate, attentive care is at the heart of what we do!
We brought our 1.5 and 3.5 year old daughters here for cleaning / check ups. Our dental hygienist Laina was amazing...made them feel so comfortable. They had a great time and keep asking when they can go to the dentist again. Dr. Hoffman was great too and made everything super quick and not stressful. Great place for kids in addition to adults!
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad to hear your little ones had such a positive experience. We’ll be sure to share your compliments with Laina and Dr. Hoffman! 💙
Every person in the office is so personable. That first off makes you comfortable. But then the methods used to clean my teeth, particularly. I don't feel a thing, and it's the first time in my life that I haven't. And I have a lot of anxiety about dental work, and I really do not feel a thing when my teeth are being cleaned
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad our team could help make your experience comfortable and relaxing. It means so much to know you felt at ease with your care!
I came here with my 18 year old daughter who has an immense fear of Doctors and Dentist , The kindness and understanding without any judgement we received from Dr.Thom was just unbelievable. The work he did on my daughter was life changing for her . I would recommend him to anyone . Just amazing, kind talented Doctor.
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your heartfelt words! It means a great deal to our team to know that you felt welcomed, understood, and cared for. We’re especially grateful you shared how meaningful your experience was.
We met Dr. Shawn in Sept 2023 and in December, he removed our adult nonverbal son's wisdom teeth. Not gonna hold you, general anesthesia is billed incrementally (by the minute/quarter-hour) and is a heavy financial investment. I love this clinic because it really is a safe space for special needs families. There's a huge calm that accompanies knowing your dependent person is getting healthy. Dr. Shawn is exceptional. We drove 6 hours to get here so we'll choose a local practice for routine sedation cleanings down the road. I hope to see more neurodivergent acceptance built locally in our state's dentistry like this team has here. Meanwhile we are so grateful for this practice and grateful our son was in Dr. Shawn's care.
Response from the owner:Thank you so much for sharing your heartfelt words. We’re honored to be a place where families feel safe, supported, and understood. Your trust in Dr. Thoms and our team truly means so much to us.
Dr. Thoms and Robin are excellent in their care, concern, and support. Dr. Thoms explains everything and takes his time. If I have questions or concerns, he is easy to talk to and listens well.Robin is right there by my side throughout procedures. Her technical skills and professionalism are impressive. She is terrific!
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad Dr. Thoms and Robin made you feel heard, supported, and cared for. We’ll be sure to share your wonderful compliments with them—they’ll mean so much!
Individualized care, expertise in general anesthesia, and attention to detail are why we keep returning for our son.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and continued trust in our team! We’re grateful to be part of your family’s care and truly appreciate your confidence in us.
The dental anesthesia center is hands down the best dental office I have ever been to. I neglected my teeth for years due to severe dental anxiety. I had work done under anesthesia with doctor hoffman who did an amazing job. Doctor Behl is not only a fantastic dentist but one of the nicest people I have ever met. The dental hygienists are both thorough and gentle. Stop your search and just go here
Response from the owner:Thank you for your incredibly kind words! We’re so glad our team could help make your experience comfortable and positive. We truly appreciate your trust and recommendation!
I had a great experience at the Dental Anesthesia Center. The reception area Personnel the Doctor-Dentist and one of his assistants all helped to make sure I was comfortable, informed and ready to get it done! Thank you Dental Anesthesia Center team!! CB
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad our team could help make your experience comfortable and reassuring. We truly appreciate your 5-star review!
Their staff was truly caring and respectful in everything they did. The dentist explained what they found in the initial tests, asked us questions about our 82 year old sister, then explained the options that would give the best results.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. We’re grateful for the opportunity to provide compassionate care and appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
My hygienist, DeLaina Joost, takes excellent care of my teeth with her advanced skills, gentle touch and great “chair side” manner. She is a consummate professional, and such a compassionate person. I look forward to my visits at DAC!
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad to hear you had a positive experience with our team and appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.
Devon’s has received his dental services here for several years. The staff are always pleasant. Dr. Hoffman unmatched. His bedside manner is always welcoming. Devon receives amazing care and support based on his assessed needs. Feedback and instruction is clear and detailed. Follow-up is greatly appreciated. I appreciate their acceptance of differences and assurance that Devon will be taken care of.
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind words and continued trust in our team! We’re grateful to be part of Devon’s care and truly appreciate your thoughtful feedback.
Best Dentists in St. Louis. Really a great dental experience. I have used this office for regular dental care, cavities, crowns, and cosmetic dentistry. Teeth look great.
Response from the owner:Christopher we apologize for the belated response. We are very pleased to hear you have a great dental experience with our office! Thank you for your kind words. We look forward to seeing you at your next dental appointment!
Dr. Behl!
I cannot recommend Dr. Maris Behl enough. If you have dental anxiety, she is truly the kind of dentist you hope to find. If teeth could be wrapped in pillows and protected by flying unicorns, Dr. Behl would somehow make it happen.
I have significant anxiety around dental procedures and have needed deeper sedation for dental work in the past. From the beginning, Dr. Behl took the time to listen to my concerns and made me feel genuinely heard rather than dismissed or rushed. She created such a sense of trust and safety that I was eventually able to have my dental work done with only nitrous instead of full sedation, which is something I honestly didn’t think I would be comfortable doing.
During my crown placement, she explained what she was doing throughout the procedure, which made an enormous difference in keeping me calm. She also took the time to address a filling that had been bothering me for what felt like forever — and she actually fixed the problem.
What stands out most about Dr. Behl is how safe I feel in her care. She is compassionate, patient, communicative, and incredibly attentive to how her patients are feeling. For someone with dental anxiety, that combination is invaluable.
Finding a dentist I trust this much has completely changed my experience with dental care. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Behl and would recommend her without hesitation, especially to anyone who has dental anxiety or has struggled to feel comfortable receiving dental treatment.
Response from the owner:Thank you for such incredibly kind words! We’ll be sure to pass this along to Dr. Behl. We’re pretty sure the flying unicorns are going to be the part she remembers most! 🦄💙 We’re so glad our team could help make your experience a more comfortable one.
1. A High Bite
Sometimes the cause is mechanical and simple. If you recently had a filling or crown placed, and that exact tooth now hurts when your teeth come together, the new restoration may be sitting slightly too high. Even a fraction of a millimeter is enough to make one tooth absorb more force than it should, and it becomes sore and sensitive to pressure.
This is one of the easiest problems in dentistry to fix. A quick adjustment to the restoration usually resolves the pain within days. If a recently treated tooth hurts when you bite, call your dentist; do not wait for it to settle.
2. A Cavity That Has Reached the Deeper Tooth
Small cavities are often painless. By the time a tooth hurts under chewing pressure, decay may have worked through the enamel into the dentin, the softer layer underneath, or close to the nerve at the center of the tooth. Pain that shows up when food presses into a specific spot, especially with sensitivity to sweets, often fits this picture.
Caught at this stage, the tooth can often be repaired with a filling or crown. Left alone, decay keeps advancing toward the nerve, and the next stop is usually much worse pain and more involved treatment.
3. A Cracked or Fractured Tooth
A distinctive pattern to watch for: sharp pain when you bite down, or more classically, a sharp jolt when you release the bite. Cracked teeth can be maddening because the pain comes and goes, often only hits at certain angles, and the crack itself may be invisible on an X-ray.
Cracks happen from chewing ice or hard foods, from nighttime grinding and clenching, from large old fillings that leave the remaining tooth walls thin, and sometimes from an unlucky bite on a popcorn kernel. Treatment depends on how deep the crack runs: a crown that holds the tooth together, a root canal if the crack reaches the nerve, or extraction if it runs below the gumline. The earlier a crack is found, the more options you have.
4. An Abscess or Infection at the Root
If the tooth feels “taller” than its neighbors, throbs on its own, and hurts intensely when you bite or even tap it, infection at the root tip is a strong possibility. Pressure pain happens because infection creates swelling in the bone around the root, so the tooth literally has less room.
Other signs may include swelling of the gum or face, a pimple-like bump on the gum, a bad taste, or fever. An abscessed tooth is not a wait-and-see situation. Dental infections can spread, and the pain tends to escalate quickly. Call promptly, and if you develop facial swelling, fever, or any difficulty swallowing or breathing, seek emergency care immediately.
5. Gum Disease or a Jaw Problem
Teeth are not fused to the jaw; each one sits in a socket cushioned by a ligament. Gum disease that has damaged the supporting bone can leave a tooth slightly loose and tender under pressure. Similarly, a blow to the tooth, or even a period of heavy clenching and grinding, can bruise that ligament and make biting sore for a while. Your dentist can tell these apart with an exam and X-rays.
When to Call the Dentist
With bite pain, the safest rule is simple: if it lasts more than a day or two, is severe, or comes with swelling or fever, call. Pressure pain almost never fixes itself, and every cause on this list is easier to treat early.
If fear, a bad past experience, or a severe gag reflex is what is really keeping you from making that call, you are exactly who our practice was built for. At The Dental Anesthesia Center, diagnosis and treatment can be completed comfortably under sedation or general anesthesia, and extensive treatment can often be finished in a single visit.
Contact The Dental Anesthesia Center
A tooth that hurts when you bite deserves attention now, not someday. Call The Dental Anesthesia Center in St. Louis at (314) 862-7844 or request a consultation online. We will find the cause and help you fix it, comfortably.
