7 Obvious Root Canal Symptoms You Can’t Miss

Have you ever wanted to know the root canal symptoms, you may be experiencing. Find out more information on what symptoms you may miss here.

Do you suffer from persistent tooth pain? You may feel sensitivity to hot or cold, or maybe it hurts when you bite on something crunchy. It could be sharp or could be dull.

The question you’re probably asking your self is—do I need to get a root canal? More than 15.1 million people get root canals each year, so it could be quite common for this procedure to be done sometime in your lifetime.

Have you ever wanted to know the root canal symptoms, you may be experiencing. Find out more information on what symptoms you may be missing here.

1. One of The Top Root Canal Symptoms is Persistent Pain

One of the most common symptoms Dentists and Endodontist hear from patients is the persistent pain that never goes away. This pain can give you a hard time with routine tasks such as drinking, eating, or chewing.

If pain lasts more than several days, you should see a dental professional as soon as possible. To verify that you do need a root canal, your dentist will inspect the area pain is present as well as take X-rays to see what the cause is.

If there is an infection inside the tooth and the roots and nerves of the tooth are inflamed, your dentist may such suggest a root canal to fix the problem.

2. A Hole In Your Tooth

Most root canals are performed due to holes being in your teeth. This could be from trauma such as an injury to the mouth with caused your teeth the chip or crack, or from poor oral hygiene.

If you don’t brush or floss your teeth regularly as your dentist prescribes, cavities can start to form. If a cavity is not taken care of early, your tooth will begin to decay the surface of your tooth, exposing the roots and nerves of the tooth.

When this happens, an infection can infiltrate your tooth, causing pain and the need for a root canal.

3. Sensitivity to Cold or Hot

If you take a sip of a cold drink or take a bite of hot food and feel a root canal pain—this could be from the root structure of your tooth is exposed. Your teeth are surrounded by gum tissue, and beneath this tissue is dentin.

Dentin is connected to the nerve endings in your tooth, and when these nerves are left unprotected, that’s where you’ll have a sensitivity to the elements.

Causes for this could be from brushing too hard, which wears out the enamel and gum tissue. Cavities and tooth decay can also cause sensitivity.

4. Swollen Gums

If you notice some redness in your gums, the cause is by problems underneath the surface. Inflammation can come from food that’s stuck in the pockets of your gums, a build-up of plaque surrounding the tooth, or damaged roots.

If you have neglected oral hygiene, gum problems may turn into gingivitis. This is where plaque builds up around the tooth, which causes your gums to be inflamed.

If gingivitis persists, this could turn into periodontal disease. Periodontal disease happens when the plaque reaches deep into the gum pockets and starts to damage the gum tissue as well as the bone tissue around the tooth.

In certain cases, a root canal will help solve the problem is swollen gums persist.

5. Tooth Decay

When you’re teeth start to decay, you will see the surface of your tooth begin to turn a dark yellow-brown color. When this happens, brushing your teeth will not solve the problem any longer.

Tooth decay can spread to the nerves causing them to die slowly, and the area will be tender and painful.

If this happens, your dentist will recommend having a root canal along with shaving around the tops and sides of your tooth and replacing it with a crown.

6. Faulty Crown

When a dental crown is put on a tooth, the hope is that the crown will put a cap on any future problems for that tooth. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Since a crown goes over a damaged tooth, there could be an occurrence of complications.

When complications happen, and pain is present, root canal therapy will need to be done to fix the problem.

7. Dental Injury

Dental injuries can happen in many different ways. Participating in sports is where you commonly see dental injuries. Dental injuries can also occur from chewing or biting something hard and crunchy.

If a tooth cracks or breaks, there’s a significant chance you’ll feel root canal pain. Your broken tooth may be exposing the pulp chamber, which increases the risk of damaging nerves and introducing an infection to the tooth.

Symptoms Only Your Dentist Can See

There are times when you may need a root canal even when you are not exhibiting any of the symptoms mentioned above. Your dentists will use cavity tests and X-rays, which will help them see under the surface of your gums and inside your tooth.

If the dentist finds any areas where the pulp chamber is exposed, there may be a need to undergo root canal treatment.

Get to a Dentist As Soon as You Exhibit Symptoms

If you start to exhibit any of these root canal symptoms we’ve mentioned above, it would be a good idea to visit a root canal specialist to get the help you need.

Don’t ignore root canal pain because once dental issues get to a certain point, they cannot be reversed, and you may be at risk of losing teeth. If you are ready to tackle your dental problems, contact us and we will help find the best treatment for you.