Especially during Winter months, we often have emergency patients who visit us complaining of a sudden onset of pain in their upper teeth. It's almost always on one side, and they usually can't pinpoint which tooth is hurting, but are convinced that something is terribly wrong. Though sometimes a tooth is indeed the culprit, sinus infections can oftentimes be mistaken for toothaches, as they present with similar symptoms. Below are a few tips to help distinguish between the two:

Symptoms common to both:

Generalized pain and throbbing of upper teeth
Pain when chewing
Pain when lying on your back

Symptoms more unique to toothaches:

Lingering sharp pain to cold/sweet/chewing
Spontaneous pain that wakes you up at night
Pain that can be localized to a single tooth
Visible facial swelling, or swelling of the gums above a single tooth

Symptoms more unique to sinus infections:

Pain is more dull and feels like severe pressure
Leaning forward increases the pain/sense of pressure
Jumping (especially when landing) causes severe pain
Pain behind eyes and around temples

In rare cases, due to the proximity of the upper teeth to the maxillary sinuses, an abscessed tooth may only present with sinus infection-type symptoms. If you've had relapses of sinus infections in a short timespan and have been treated by a physician, it might not be your sinuses -- your tooth may be the actual culprit, so make an appointment with your dentist!