Imagine that you have no pain and are not aware of any problem related to your teeth, but your dentist tells you that you should have a root canal done or be in pain soon.
How can we decide if we should do the root canal or not?
This is a very common situation that we may encounter with it.
We have written all the signs for you, but there is one more thing you need to know. Sometimes there is no need for root canal treatment! Your teeth look healthy, but the truth is something else. We do not want to scare you. We just want to suggest that you see a dentist at least once a year and have your teeth checked. Because we all know that prevention is better than cure, however, if your tooth needs treatment, endodontic treatment can relieve you of the pain and preserve the tooth. This tooth can work for you like any other tooth for the rest of your life.
What Is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment, as its name implies, is a treatment for an infected tooth root. This treatment is also called Neurotherapy or root canal therapy. We have fully explained this treatment on our site, which you can refer to the relevant page for more information (link at the end of the article). As we have said, having pain from the symptoms of the tooth has reached the nerve, which is, of course, the last and most painful symptom. But with the salient advantages, you must know some of the disadvantages as well.
Signs That Tell You, You Need Root Canal Treatment
We may all have experienced toothache. Toothache is one of the most painful and severe types of pain. This pain does not heal on its own and gets worse over time. That’s why it needs dental interventions. Severe pain indicates that the infection has reached the tooth nerve and, due to the depth of the infection, is not treated with initial dental treatment such as fillings. Usually, the treatment prescribed in these conditions is endodontic treatment.
When Is Root Canal Treatment Necessary?
Determining whether a tooth needs endodontic treatment is not always an easy task and requires examining the dental nerve’s signs, symptoms, and testing. If you have a toothache that suspects the need for endodontic treatment, a variety of symptoms should be evaluated here. The patient diagnoses some of these symptoms, and other factors are determined only by the dentist. Symptoms you notice. Often with pain or signs of infection or swelling, which is the first signal to a person whose teeth are in trouble.
Diagnosis of Neurosurgery
Your family dentist will examine you for the symptoms such as type, location, onset, the duration you have experienced. The symptoms are obvious to the dentist. Some teeth appear to have nerve problems, but it is easy for the trained eye to find the cause, given the general points.
If you have any of the following symptoms, see your dentist as soon as possible.
Small Cavities or Dullness on the Tooth Surface
This cavity and blur on the tooth are visible to the eye and can be painful or painless. Even if you do not feel pain, seeing your dentist prevents severe pain likely to start sooner or later.
Feeling of Swelling or Pain Near the Neck or Face
If your tooth is infected when you touch your neck, especially around the lymph nodes, you may feel some pain or feel that your lymph nodes are enlarged. In the case of a severe infection, one side of the face that is infected near the tooth becomes painful and swollen.
Tooth or Gum Gumboil
A gumboil is an infectious, purulent mass caused by bacteria. Gumboil grows on the gums or the roots of the teeth. A gingival gumboil is visible and is mostly due to gum infection but can also be a sign of tooth infection. A tooth gumboil is invisible to the eye and is often accompanied by pain. This means that the tooth is infected and needs root canal treatment.
Long-Term Sensitivity to Heat and Cold
Many people have sensitive teeth that feel mild sensitivity or pain when they come in contact with cold food and drink; But if the tooth is infected, this sensitivity and pain will return to normal. The allergy persists for a long time and turns into almost severe pain. In this case, as soon as you eat or drink hot and cold food (especially cold), the tooth hurts so much that you cannot continue to eat and drink for a few minutes.
Feeling of Pain in the Teeth When Chewing or Pressing Them
Most of the time, people ignore this sign and think it is only a temporary allergy; But the bad news is that severe toothache starts sooner or later. So, take this situation seriously.
Feeling of Beating in the Teeth
This symptom can be painful or painless. If it is accompanied by pain, it can almost be said that the nerves of the teeth are disappearing. If it is not painful, it could be due to sinus pressure or medical problems. In any case, do not take risks and see a dentist.
A Toothache that Comes and Goes
Most people ignore this pain because it goes away after a few days, and they endure it until they recover. Still, the truth is that this time, which seems to be the time of recovery, is actually dedicated to destroying the nerves of the teeth, and the severe and unbearable pain will probably start sooner or later. So, if you have pain, even mild, be sure to see a dentist.
Additional Test to Determine the Need for Root Canal of the Tooth
Once a dentist has identified one or more suspicious teeth, they perform an additional test on them to reduce the tooth evaluation to zero and accurately diagnose the problem. Types of tests: thermal (hot and cold), Coupe, electrical bending test and of course X-ray evaluation (computed tomography).
• Additional Evaluation
- Tooth restoration status (defective, recently filled)
- Periodontal condition (gum health)
- Smile check
- Evaluation of cracked teeth
- Signs that the tooth needs to be denervated, and you can see for yourself
