A root canal is an operation done by a dentist to remove decay from the pulp and root of your tooth. Endodontics treatment is another name for root canals.
Your teeth are made of enamel on the outside, dentin on the inside, and a pulpy core in the middle of each tooth that goes all the way to the root in your jawbone.
The dental pulp is in the middle of the tooth. It is made up of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.
When decay moves into the soft core, the pulp can become inflamed, infected, or even dead. There are many reasons why this happens (dead). A root canal procedure is needed to take care of the decay.
The question is, how do you know if you need a root canal? Are there any distinguishing features? Read on to find out more about the signs that might mean you need a root canal in your mouth.
What is a root canal?
A root canal treatment is like a small Roto-Rooter because it cleans out the decay and saves the tooth at the same time.
During a root canal procedure, your dentist will do the following:
- Get rid of bacteria and decay in the pulp, root, and nerve of the tooth
- Use antibiotics to clean the area.
- Fill the empty roots with soil;
- Seal the area to stop further damage from happening.
A root canal can be done by either your regular dentist or a dentist who specializes in teeth called an endodontist.
During the root canal, your natural tooth will not be taken out, and the treatment will stop any more cavities from forming.
But this makes it more likely that the tooth will break. Because of this, a crown is usually needed to protect a tooth that has had root canal therapy.
Warning Signs that you have a root canal
The only way to know for sure if you need a root canal is to see your dentist. On the other hand, there are a few warning signs to look out for.
If you have any of these signs, you need to see your dentist as soon as possible. If you can get care for your tooth as soon as possible, it will probably turn out better.
Persistent pain
Having constant pain or discomfort in your teeth could be a sign that you need a root canal. It’s possible that the pain in your tooth bothers you all the time, but it could also come and go.
It’s possible that the pain will go all the way down to your tooth’s bone. Because of referred pain, you can also feel pain in your face, jaw, or other teeth. A toothache might not be caused by a root canal at all.
No matter what is causing your tooth pain, you should think about making an appointment with a dentist, especially if the pain has been going on for a long time. When tooth pain is quickly diagnosed and treated, things often go better for the patient.
Sensitivity to heat and cold
Do you feel pain in your teeth when you eat warm food or drink a hot cup of coffee? You could also have sensitive teeth if you ate ice cream or drank a really cold glass of water.
The sensitivity could feel like a throbbing pain or like a sharp pain. If this pain lasts for a long time, even when you aren’t chewing or drinking anything, you may need a root canal.
If it hurts when you eat or drink something hot or cold, it could mean that the blood vessels and nerves in your tooth are infected or damaged. If this is the case, you should make an appointment with a dentist right away.
Tooth discoloration
If you have an infection in the pulp of your tooth, it could cause the color of your tooth to change.
Damage to the roots of the tooth, which can make the tooth look grayish-black, can be caused by a blow to the tooth or by the tooth’s internal tissue breaking down.
Kenneth Rothschild, DDS, FAGD, PLLC, who has been a general dentist for the past 40 years and is now the owner of Kenneth Rothschild, DDS, FAGD, PLLC, says that this discoloration is easier to see in a front tooth.
Rothschild pointed out that tooth pulps can die when they don’t get enough blood. This is a sign that a root canal may be needed.
Even though tooth discoloration can be caused by other things, if you notice that the color of one of your teeth is changing, you should make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.
Swollen gums
In some cases, swollen gums near the painful tooth can be a sign that the tooth needs a root canal.
There’s a chance the swelling will go down. It’s possible that it will hurt when you touch it, but it might not hurt at all.
Rothschild said that acidic waste products from dead pulp tissues cause swelling, which can cause swelling (called edema) outside of the root tip area. “Acidic waste products from dead pulp tissues cause swelling,” he said.
You might also have a little pimple on your gum. This is known as an abscess, a gum boil, or a parulis.
Because the tooth is infected, the pimple may break and pus will come out. This can leave a bad taste in your mouth and make your breath smell bad.
Pain when you eat or touch the tooth
If you have a tooth that hurts when you touch it or eat hot or cold foods, this could be a sign of severe tooth decay or nerve damage, both of which may need a root canal to fix.
This is especially true if the reaction lasts for a long time and doesn’t go away when you stop eating the food that caused it.
When an infected tooth’s pulp dies, it can make the ligament around the root tip of the tooth very sensitive.
It’s possible that the byproducts of the pulp breaking down will irritate the ligament and make it hurt when you bite down on it.
A chipped or cracked tooth
If you have a cracked tooth by an accident, while playing a sport that requires physical contact, or while chewing on something very hard, bacteria could get into the area and cause swelling and an infection.
Even if a tooth is hurt but doesn’t break or chip, if the hurt is bad enough, the nerves inside the tooth may still be hurt.
The nerve could become irritated, which would cause pain and sensitivity and could mean that you need root canal therapy.
Tooth mobility
When you have an infection in your tooth, you may notice that it moves around more. Pulpal necrosis, which is also called “nerve death,” is one of the things that could cause this condition. It could also be a sign that you need a root canal.
When a nerve dies, waste products are made that could make the bone around the root of a dying tooth softer and more mobile.
If more than one of your teeth seems to be moving around in its socket, it’s likely not because of a problem that needs a root canal.
Cracked & Broken Tooth
Along with a tooth that is getting darker, we expect to have a few other dental emergencies. We sometimes get phone calls about cracked or broken teeth.
When a patient’s tooth is broken or even knocked out, a dentist who can get to them quickly can just put everything back where it should be.
When these kinds of physical damage happen to a tooth, the pulp is not hurt in any way. A bond can be put on a broken piece, and a lost tooth can be put back in place.
Still, if a tooth has been broken open and the chamber where the pulp is located is exposed to saliva, this is a good way for an infection to start.
During a root canal, the damaged pulp chamber is replaced with a filling and, if the damage is bad enough, a dental crown. This will save you a lot of time and a lot of trouble in the long run.
A small crack near the root of a tooth can sometimes cause the same pain and discomfort, but it’s harder to spot and most people don’t think of it as an emergency that needs dental treatment right away. You might need to have a root canal done.
Trauma to the Jaw
When the jaw is hurt and the wound is left open to the air, bacteria can start to live in the wound and move up to the teeth if the infection is not treated right away.
Blood vessels run through the jaw and up to each tooth, where they enter the pulp chamber through the root canal.
It is possible for infections in the root canal or in the veins in your jaw to have the same effect as decay that has reached the veins at the root of your tooth through the dentin.
On the other hand, a broken jaw is a very serious type of injury. You should go to a hospital right away to get help, and when your jaw is better, you should make an appointment with a dentist. With this method, the focus can be on your teeth instead of your health.
