What are the Signs of Needing a Root Canal Treatment?

What are the Signs of Needing a Root Canal Treatment?

The answer to a common question people ask  “ what are the signs of needing a root canal?”  can vary.

When diagnosing the need for a root canal treatment we look for signs and symptoms.  Signs of needing a root canal treatment are what you and your dentist can see.  Symptoms of needing a root canal treatment are what you feel.

A very common symptom is pain.  This pain can include the following:

1. Pain to cold drinks, food and/or cold air. If the reaction to cold is then followed by a throbbing or aching pain, this is a sign the nerve in the tooth will not recover and you will need a root canal treatment.  The throbbing or aching pain lasts for about 10 minutes or can become constant.
2. Pain that comes on for no reason. This pain is often a throbbing, stabbing or aching pain or all of the above and starts for no reason.  We call this spontaneous pain.  This pain normally means you have a dead tooth and you will be needing a root canal.
3. Pain to hot drinks, food and/or cold air. Pain to heat is a sign a nerve will not recover and especially if the heat brings on extreme throbbing pain.  This is a sign a root canal treatment will be required.
4. Pain to bite on a tooth. A tooth is surrounded by a lot of nerves and a ligament.  Swelling and inflammation in this area caused by an inflamed or infected tooth, causes pain when you bite down.  This is a sign you will also require root canal.

When diagnosing the need for a root canal treatment,  we look for a number of symptoms put together, rather then relying on only one of the above symptoms.  Often you will have more than one of these symptoms.

What are the Causes of Needing a Root Canal Treatment?

This is also a common question people ask.  Some of the common causes of needing a root canal include:

1. Cracked and chipped teeth
2. Cavities in teeth
3. Teeth with large deep fillings or crowns
4. Teeth where the enamel has eroded away exposing the soft dentine
5. A knock or an impact to a tooth
6. Orthodontic movement such as with braces

These are just some of the reasons that may cause your tooth to need a root canal and sometimes these can also happen together.

At Leichhardt St Dental Practice in Spring Hill Brisbane, Dr Barbara has a special interest in root canal treatments and has performed them for 30 years.  The latest rotary endodontics is used with endo-activator equipment to create  higher quality root canal treatments and aid in a better success rate.

Call and have a chat about your root canal treatment or pain that you may be experiencing.  Don’t’ wait until you have uncontrollable pain as this makes diagnosis more difficult.

Every surgical or invasive procedure caries risk and may not be suitable for everyone.

Book Now and start your journey to dental health.