Tooth pain: Do I need a Root Canal?

Are you suffering from tooth pain or have noticed signs of infection and swelling? Perhaps it is the first signal reminding you to approach your dentist right away. If the cause of the pain is attributed to severe decay that has spread to the tooth pulp, it is very much likely that our dentist may suggest undergoing root canal treatment in Pune at our dental clinic. But that being said, neither all painful infections need to be treated through root canal procedures nor pain is the only criteria to demand root canal treatment. Let us go in depth analyzing the events that call upon the need of root canal treatment.
Symptoms visible to you
As mentioned earlier, many signs and symptoms of tooth problem that are very much visible to you should be construed as the first warning bell to seek the consultation of a dentist.
• Frequent bouts of pain: Believe us, all tooth pains, whether they are recurring, intermittent, continuous or a spontaneous response to a stimulus, do not necessitate root canal treatment. Also, a tooth that requires RCT may not produce any pain at all. But when pain exists with the other symptoms explained below, the strong suspicion of tooth pulp decay arises.
• Infection and swelling in gum lines: A minor or major swelling with pus formation near the location of the tooth’s root is also a possible symptom of severe tooth decay. But in many cases, it may not present a strong evidence of tooth decay and it can be due to any other reason which needs further careful evaluation.
Symptoms available from a dentist’s perspective:
On several instances, many subtle signs are visible only to the trained eyes of a dentist.
• Tooth color change – It is again an indication of pathological changes in the nerve space. Ofcourse it could also be due to a trauma that had happened even years ago.
• Drainage of infection: A lesion or boil located at a place near the tip of the root in the gum line acting as drainage of pus is a good indication of a problem in tooth pulp.
Being an endodontic procedure, your dentist would not rush to the conclusion of a root canal treatment. On the contrary, he or she would try to get the complete picture based on patient history, clinical examination results, and diagnostic tests. Hence, on noticing these symptoms, your dentist may resort to x-ray diagnosis and decide for the requirement of root canal treatment.
The need for x-ray diagnosis attains prominence for asymptotic cases, where tooth pulp decay issues are not accompanied by pain or swelling. Infact, on few instances, severe tooth decay may be waiting for a root canal treatment for years together. Precisely, that is why it is very much important to conduct an x-ray evaluation to notice the presence of dark spots at the tip of tooth’s root, which is more or less a clear indication of tooth pulp decay. In few cases, the results may not be conclusive and hence the patient may also be advised for additional tests such as electric pulp testing and thermal testing.
Many a time, patients avoid visiting dental clinic on the apprehension of being recommended to opt for root canal treatment. Before concluding, as a dentist associated with a reputed dental hospital, Pune, we would like to stress upon two factors:
• With massive advances in medical technologies and techniques, root canal treatment has become virtually painless.
• Avoiding the root canal treatment would not help in any way, and in fact it may lead to severe deterioration of adjacent teeth and also the jawbones that lie underneath your teeth.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and signs listed above, it is always recommended to avail the consultation form our> best dentist, Pune and undergo evaluation tests. Remember, treatment of any dental problem in the initial stages always present very good chances of easy recovery and also paves way for good dental health.