Tooth Decay Palo Alto, CA

Root Canal Dentist, Tooth Pain and Endodontic Disease

What Are the Most Common Symptoms of Endodontic Disease?

Endodontic disease can manifest itself with a wide variety and combination of symptoms. Common symptoms of endodontic disease include:

• Lingering tooth sensitivity to cold liquids.
• Lingering tooth sensitivity to hot liquids.
• Tooth sensitivity to sweets.
• Tooth pain to biting pressure.
• Tooth pain that is referred from a tooth to another area, such as the neck, temple, or the ear.
• Spontaneous toothache, such as that experienced while reading a magazine, watching television, etc.
• Constant or intermittent tooth pain.
• Severe tooth pain.
• Throbbing tooth pain.
• Tooth pain that may occur in response to atmospheric pressure changes, such as when flying or scuba diving.
• Tooth pain that may occur in response to postural changes, such as when going from a standing to a reclining position.
• Tooth Swelling.

If you have any of these symptoms, it would be wise to see your dentist because you might have root canal disease or another dental problem.

Some of these endodontic disease symptoms may also be attributable to decay, defective fillings, periodontal diseases, cracked teeth, or other tooth or bite-related problems.

On other occasions, the symptoms may even be caused by disorders that are not related to the teeth.

Why May Endodontic Disease Cause Swelling?

When the pulpal tissue becomes severely diseased and necrotic, the resultant infection can spread from inside the tooth into the adjacent bone and soft tissues. As a result, swelling can occur in the tissues immediately surrounding the tooth.

If this situation is not treated and the endodontic disease process is not kept under control by the body's defenses, the infection can begin to spread into other tissue spaces, such as those around the eye or in the neck. In some situations, this can become a serious medical emergency.

By Clifford J. Ruddle, DDS, in collaboration with Philip M. Smith, DDS

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

An Abscessed Tooth Is a Bacterial Infection

Tooth pain is what usually brings someone with a dental abscess into the dentist's office. These teeth infections can be painful affairs, sometimes accompanied by shooting pains up and down the face. Even if you hate going to the dentist, you'll find that abscessed tooth pain is far worse.

Tooth abscesses are often accompanied by swelling in the cheek or oral tissues. However, sometimes abscessed teeth may have no visible swelling or little pain, so it's important not to wait until you're in severe pain to see a dentist.

If you're diagnosed with an abscessed tooth, you generally have two treatment options: get a root canal, or have the tooth extracted. The tooth infection is deep down inside the tooth root, and the only way to cure it is to clean it out.

Root canal treatment lets you save a tooth even when the tooth's root has become infected. An endodontist or root canal dentist will open up your tooth, clean out the infected pulp inside, and replace the damaged tissue with an inert material. Once a dental crown is placed, you're left with a tooth that looks and feels just like all the others in your mouth.

Tooth extraction is also known as "pulling a tooth." Thanks to modern dental anesthetics, it's not as painful as cartoons might lead you to believe. Your dentist will explain your options for replacing the tooth. Some people opt for dental implant surgery, while others choose a dental bridge or partial denture.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.