The following signs and symptoms may indicate the need for root canal treatment:
-Severe Tooth Pain. If your tooth is infected, meaning there is a bacterial infection of the dental pulp, you’ll most likely feel severe pain in the tooth. This pain may be persistent or it may come and go. Either way, the infection in a tooth will not go away on its own, so seek professional treatment.
–Acute sensitivity to heat and cold. Minor tooth sensitivity is normal. But if one tooth is sensitive to heat and/or cold and the sensitivity persists longer than a few seconds, you may have a tooth that is in need of a root canal. Prolonged sensitivity suggests inflammation of the nerve inside the tooth, perhaps due to a crack or cavity.
-Discolored tooth. If a tooth turns gray or brown from the inside, it may be due to an infection or injury to the dental pulp. The dental pulp contains blood vessels that can bleed inside the tooth if they are disturbed, which causes the discoloration of the tooth. Root canal treatment removes the dental pulp as well as the discoloration from inside the tooth, allowing the tooth to be restored with a composite material in an appropriate tooth shade.
-Chipped or cracked tooth. A chipped or cracked tooth can expose the layer beneath the enamel, called the dentin, which is softer and thinner than the enamel. If bacteria were to enter the root canal of the tooth through a crack, the tooth is susceptible to infection. A root canal may be done proactively before placing a crown over the tooth.
-Deep cavity in a tooth. When a tooth has a deep cavity or severe decay throughout the crown of the tooth, it makes the tooth susceptible to infection. Your dentist may recommend a root canal as a proactive treatment to prevent bacteria from invading the dental pulp through a cavity.
-Swollen gum tissue in one area. The gum tissue around an infected tooth may become swollen and tender. If you have swollen gums in just one area of the mouth, it could indicate that a tooth is infected and needs root canal treatment.
