Let's be completely frank about this—no one gets out of bed in the morning and wishes to spend their evening sitting in a dental chair. When you have a small toothache, the immediate reaction that most people will have is to simply let it go and see if the problem takes care of itself by tomorrow.
Unfortunately, your teeth cannot recover from internal infections on their own. Right now, if you are doing research on how to know if you need root canal treatment, then you probably already have a problem serious enough to interfere with your normal activities.
Inside each of your teeth is the soft tissue of the pulp, which contains the nerve endings and blood vessels that allowed your teeth to grow when you were younger. If bacteria gain access through severe tooth decay, a crack in the tooth, or a face injury into the pulp inside your tooth, they will cause inflammation which creates enormous amounts of pressure. This pressure, due to being contained within the hard shell of your tooth, causes a great deal of pain.
In order to prevent damage to your actual tooth and further infection, a dentist needs to step in.
But how do you differentiate between a standard, minor cavity and a severe internal infection? Here are the undeniable signs you need a root canal so you can take action before it is too late.
1. Unrelenting, Throbbing Pain
Of course, everyone has been acquainted with the small amount of pain from sensitive teeth, however, the pain caused by infection in the dental pulp is entirely different. One of the very evident root canals toothache symptoms is an acute pain that never disappears.
It is not just a sudden stab. This toothache root canal symptom is often characterized by sharp, throbbing pain that goes beyond the single tooth. It may be felt within the jaw bone, spreading over the face or even causing severe headaches. It may happen suddenly during some idle moments or even frequently awaken you at night. If you are always trying to take pain relievers just to cope with daily routine, then it is definitely a time to visit a dentist for tooth pain. Otherwise, you just risk letting the internal infection worsen even more.
2. Extreme Sensitivity to Hot and Cold
It is completely natural if you feel a fleeting sensitivity when you have just bitten into a popsicle or just had an intake of your hot cup of tea. But you should definitely pay particular attention to the duration of that feeling.
When you have just taken a sip of your hot coffee or ice water and you have been experiencing some painful feelings from the temperature of the drink for ten, twenty, or even thirty seconds after its complete disappearance, then this is one of the key root canal symptoms. Such a long-lasting sensitivity towards hot or cold shows that the nerve endings within your tooth are exposed, inflamed, or dying at the moment. When the pulp gets to such a condition, it becomes impossible to cure this condition with the help of simple fillings only.
3. Swollen Gums and Dental Abscesses
When assessing your oral condition, it is crucial that you not only pay attention to the solid teeth but also check for the signs on your soft tissues. The presence of swollen gums close to the painful tooth is one of the symptoms of the root canal infection.
The swelling can be temporary, recurring, or persistent. It will appear red, inflamed, and tender to touch. In case of severe cases of infection inside the tooth, you might observe a small pimple formation on your gums at the site of the tooth root. This kind of lesion is called a dental abscess. Dental abscess is basically a pus-filled pocket, which appears as a result of drainage of the infection from the root. In case this abscess bursts, you will feel an extremely unpleasant taste in your mouth and terrible, bad breath. The dental abscess is a serious dental problem; it is capable of spreading to your jawbones and blood system.
4. Noticeable Tooth Discoloration
The color of your teeth will change as you grow older due to years of drinking coffee, tea, and eating colored foods that will cause a slight yellowing of your teeth. But if one isolated tooth suddenly starts changing its color, then it is time for an urgent visit to your dentist as you have a problem in terms of the structure of your tooth.
Dark stains on the teeth are very common. In many cases, dark yellow, dark brown, dark grey, or purple stains mean that there is something seriously wrong with the tooth. This happens because the blood flow through the tooth’s vessels stops working, and it decomposes internally causing the discoloration to occur from the inside out. Since the stain occurs inside the tooth, there is nothing you can do about it using whitening strips and bleaching gels. The only thing you need to do is undergo a root canal procedure and get a perfectly custom-made porcelain crown for your tooth.
5. Severe Pain When Chewing or Applying Pressure
Do you find yourself chewing all the food in your mouth using only the right side because the left side is just too painful?
In case a certain tooth causes shooting pains whenever you bite on the food or even touch it using your finger, then the ligaments around the root of the tooth must be highly inflamed due to an infection developing inside the pulp of the tooth. Any attempt to put any downward force will cause excruciating pain and is a clear warning sign that endodontic procedure must be done to relieve the pressure.
6. A Deeply Cracked or Chipped Tooth
However, not all root canals are caused by bad oral hygiene or cavities that occur within the teeth. At times, physical damage to the teeth causes this dental problem. For example, biting into hard substances such as ice or getting a physical blow to the mouth while playing basketball or grinding the teeth at night can damage the teeth.
Despite the small appearance of physical damage, it could cause a rupture of the nerves inside the teeth or microscopic fissures within the enamel of the teeth. The bacteria within the mouth will be able to reach the sterile pulp chamber through the microscopic channels and cause infection. In case you have experienced dental damage and the affected tooth is painful or sensitive, a root canal might be necessary to save it from further internal decay.
Don't Wait for the Pain to Become Unbearable
The greatest myth that exists in dentistry is that the process of root canal therapy is one of pain and misery. On the contrary, it is the bacterial infection that leads to severe pain, whereas root canal treatment is the procedure that can stop your pain forever.
At The Dental Roots, considered a top destination for advanced dentistry in terms of state-of-the-art clinics located in New Delhi and Gurgaon, ensuring the comfort of our patients is of the utmost importance. We have highly-specialized endodontic specialists who use advanced anesthetic medications, operating microscopes, and laser disinfection system to guarantee that you will feel absolutely comfortable and your treatment will be highly accurate, often in one visit only.
You do not have to be suffering from terrible toothache for all day long and even worse – loose your own teeth. Pay attention to your body's signals and consult The Dental Roots specialists about your condition.
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The Dental Roots Editorial Team
Written by our panel of specialist dentists & patient educators
