A patient can feel concerned if his dentist tells him he might need a root canal treatment or RCT. An RCT is a dental procedure where the dentist will remove the pulp with infection inside your tooth with the help of multiple root canal files.
A dentist will suggest RCT if your tooth has a severe infection and there is no way he can save the pulp. According to a renowned Jacksonville TX dentist, no matter how intimidating it might sound, RCT is one of the most painless procedures. Here are some signs that indicate you need an RCT.
Persistent pain
If you are suffering from persistent pain in a particular tooth or teeth in a section of your mouth, you must make an appointment with your dentist. Dentists who perform root canals Jacksonville mention that persistent pain, which you can feel radiating from inside your tooth, indicates tooth decay. When you evaluate constant tooth pain, you need to check for the following:
- If your toothache is persistent but tends to occur at regular intervals, it might result from gum disease or gingivitis. This might not require RCT but alternative dental procedures. However, if it is a persistent radiating pain that makes it difficult for you to eat, you will need an RCT.
- A Jacksonville, TX, dentist mentioned that pain from infected pulp could make it difficult even to move your jaw. In other words, you will feel the pain radiating to your face, jaw, and even bones. In such a scenario, your dentist will recommend an RCT.
Hence, when you describe persistent pain to your dentist, it is essential to mention the origin of the pain and how debilitating it is.
Tooth Sensitivity
As per the same Jacksonville, TX dentist, one of the significant causes of RCT is tooth sensitivity. If your tooth has become sensitive when you eat ice cream or sip on a hot cup of coffee, it indicates you might need RCT. The pulp of your teeth has nerve endings. A sudden dull ache you feel whenever you have something hot or cold means that these nerve endings are damaged.
Tooth discoloration
If you ask dentists who do root canal Jacksonville whether infected pulp can lead to tooth discoloration, they will say yes. This is another indication that a patient needs RCT. If you have an injury and your tooth has been damaged, it can cut the blood supply to the pulp.
Lack of blood supply can damage the tooth’s pulp and cause the tissue’s breakdown. As a result, the enamel will have a greyish-black appearance. If you have recently suffered an injury and observed a change in your teeth color, you must make an appointment with your dentist. You might need an RCT.
Swollen gums
Swollen gums can be quite painful, but as a layperson, you can mistake it as an indication of gum disease. Sometimes swollen gum can be the result of damaged tooth pulp. Dentists who perform root canal Jacksonville mention that acidic wastes released by the dead pulp tissue can result in swollen gums.
You might observe small pimple-like growth on your gum. This is a clear indication that you need RCT. Such a gum boil is parulis or abscess; your dentist will first treat this issue before he can do the RCT.
Pain when you touch your tooth
The ligament around the tooth has become hypersensitive as the pulp is dying. This pain will differ from the persistent pain you might feel radiating from the inside of your tooth to your face. If you touch the damaged tooth and feel a searing pain from the tip right down to the root, it indicates nerve damage.
This pain will differ from the persistent pain you might feel radiating from the inside of your tooth to your face. You must consult a dentist immediately if you observe pain while brushing your teeth.
Broken tooth
You can suffer from teeth breaks if you play contact sports. If a dentist doesn’t have the problem, it can lead to tooth sensitivity over time, and the pulp inside your tooth will be subject to infection. There will be no alternative RCT.
Deep decay
In tooth decay, the tooth has become loose from the root, and you can even move it slightly. Deep decay will also be painful. If the tooth decay is severe and has led to pulpal necrosis, there will be no option but to perform an RCT.
The infection has spread to the root and nerves, and the only treatment is a root canal, and then your dentist will fit the tooth with a crown.
Thus, there are several ways that you can identify whether you need RCT. If you want more, contact Cherokee Dental Professionals or check out their website.
