By Aspen Dental
Signs You May Need a Root Canal Treatment
A root canal treatment is necessary when the following signs are noticed; swelling, pain with intensity ranging from mild to severe, discoloration of the tooth, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, tenderness to touch and chewing, drainage. Do you have a toothache? A toothache is a sure sign that a root canal treatment or extraction is needed.
If the tooth is still alive, you will experience extreme sensitivity to hot or cold foods or liquids, and the sensitivity will continue even after the hot or cold is no longer touching the tooth. The tooth may start hurting at night, or even when you are not eating, chewing or drinking. The pain may progress to a severe generalized headache.
If the tooth is dead and presenting an abscess, the pain will be felt when pressure is put on the tooth.
Other Reasons You May Need a Root Canal Treatment
Repeated dental procedures and any trauma to a tooth may make a root canal treatment necessary. A fractured tooth may need a root canal if the fracture stretches deep into the tooth and reaches the pulp. Repeated dental procedures produce significant stress on a tooth causing inflammation which in turn requires a root canal treatment.
Do you Have an Abscessed Tooth?
The abscess can produce bleeding and swelling around the tooth, and sometimes visible swelling of the jaw, cheek, or throat. If this swelling is noticed, treatment is required urgently. An abscess is pus that accumulates in an area of dead nerve tissue infected with bacteria. Sometimes the abscess will form a bump that resembles a pimple on the exterior part of the gums. You may even notice pus draining or notice a bad taste in your mouth. If left untreated it will continue to grow and infect the bone and tissues around the root of the tooth. Although antibiotics minimize the rate at which the infection spreads, the only way to stop the infection entirely is by undergoing a root canal treatment. An infection may also cause swelling that may spread to other areas of the face, neck, or head, bone loss around the tip of the root and drainage problems extending outward from the root. A hole can occur through the side of the tooth with drainage into the gums or through the cheek with drainage into the skin.
