If a diver experiences tooth pain concurrent with significant facial pressure or ear pain, what might this suggest?

A broader middle ear or sinus equalization problem where air spaces are not venting correctly.

When tooth pain is accompanied by symptoms such as significant facial pressure or pain in the ears, it suggests that the issue is not isolated to the dental structure alone but points toward a systemic problem affecting all air-filled cavities in the head. Both the middle ear spaces and the sinuses are designed to equalize pressure with the surrounding water during descent. If the tooth pain is occurring alongside difficulty or pain in equalizing these other spaces, it indicates that the overall pressure imbalance (barotrauma) is likely systemic, possibly due to congestion or an equalization technique failure affecting the Eustachian tubes or sinus passages. Treating only the tooth in isolation would overlook this potentially more widespread pressure management issue.