Going to the dentist is not fun especially when you’re about to do a root canal. The procedure is meant for the tooth that is deeply and severely decayed causing swelling and infection along with debilitating pain to the patient. Even though the procedure is painful, it’s much worse leaving it to rot deeper triggering life-threatening conditions. If you feel any of the following symptoms go to your dentist straight away.
Constant pain
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Teeth might hurt for various reasons, but many of them come and go in a matter of hours. On the other hand, if you experience constant, relentless pain it might be a sign of an inflamed nerve if the tooth. Antibiotics can ease the pain, but your best bet is to go see the dentist. He or she is the only one who can tell you with certainty whether or not a root canal needs work or the pain can be remedied with medicines. Taking out the root canal will relieve you of pain almost immediately. The longer you put up with the torment of the infected tooth, the worse the inflammation gets, thus there is no sense in an endless wait in hopes the pain will go away. Check it out with your dentist and discuss your next steps.
Holes, chips and cracks
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Teeth can be damaged by many different causes like injuries, weak enamel, bad hygiene and the dentist’s work. When there is a piece of tooth missing, the inside, including the root canal, gets exposed to bacteria and is very susceptible to infections. Bacteria can dig deep into the tooth, gums and spread out into the body. This is potentially a dangerous situation that could end up with serious and terminal consequences. Dentists from croasdailedentalarts.com dentistry warn that a chipped tooth is not only a cosmetic issue, and should be dealt with as soon as it happens to avoid further complications. If not, significant swelling and immense pain will follow and from here the only way to resolve the problem is the root canal procedure.
Sensitivity
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Some people naturally have sensitive teeth. They treat mild pain with special toothpaste while at the same time avoiding extremely hot or cold food and drinks. But if you never experienced this kind of discomfort it might be a sign of an infected root canal. Exposed and damaged blood vessels will be severely affected by extreme heat and cold and will cause numbing pain. Some discomfort while consuming hot and cold food is normal and shouldn’t be confused with the extreme sensitivity to even mildly warm and cool food and beverages.
Swollen gums
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Tender and swollen gums are often the sign of the much bigger problem brewing underneath. Infections and inflammations always cause swelling along with persistent pain. Only your dentist can tell if the cause for the sensitive gums is the infected root canal or is there something else that might be causing it. In either case, this is a condition that cannot be remedied by some alternative, homemade painkillers like putting ice or rinsing your mouth with some calming teas. In more cases than not, the root canal is the problem and it should be taken care of promptly.
Discoloration of the teeth
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Dark spots or discoloration of the whole tooth are a sure sign of tooth decay. Sometimes it’s just bad hygiene or the sign of poor nutrition and excessive intake of foods and drinks that are famous for darkening the tooth enamel. Still, it’s worth double-checking with your dentist because it might very well be a root canal inflammation. Unfortunately, if this is the case there is no other solution but taking it out. Be aware that having one tooth a bit darker shade than the others is not only a cosmetic problem, but it can seriously damage your whole wellbeing. Again, time is of the essence, thus make an appointment as soon as you notice the issue.
Decay
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Many people don’t pay much attention to small spots of cavity here and there until they spread out and become a huge, painful problem. Every decay begins with a microscopic black spot that is oftentimes overlooked. No matter how well and how often you brush or floss the cavity won’t go away. The prolonged and neglected cavity will grow to become decay growing deep into the root of the tooth. Once this happens, it’s time for the root canal procedure. Unfortunately, it’s too late to do anything else and the sooner you get rid of it, the sooner you’ll feel as good as new.
Long-lasting sensitivity
When chewing on hard food, like peanuts or apples, you might feel some temporary discomfort and mild pain in your gums. If this pain and sensitivity are prolonged, lasting for days you almost certainly need a root canal done. Long-lasting sensitivity is oftentimes one of the first signs of the root canal problem. Although having a root canal is certainly not fun, it can be a resolution for your painful problem. With the right dentist, the process could be almost painless. Click here to see the step-by-step guide of the root canal procedure. The truth is, if the problem is not taken care of it might cause significant damage to surrounding teeth, gums and mouth. Infections could be spreading fast without you even noticing.
Root canal treatment
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The only way to eliminate constant pain is to have a root canal done. Your dentist is going to make a few X-rays to determine exactly where the problem occurred. Once he identifies the tooth, local anesthesia is administered to relieve you of any pain and discomfort during the procedure. Still, don’t expect it to be totally painless. You might feel some pressure and soreness followed by swelling afterwards. When the anesthesia kicks in, the dentist will start with getting rid of the decayed pulp and filling your tooth with a new material. At this moment, you’re out of the woods. The final step is sealing and you’re good to go and get that ice cream you’ve been thinking about for the last few days.
