(Hint) Your mouth is basically sending you emails
Let’s be honest. No one wakes up one day thinking, “I need a root canal.” A root canal is right up there with a “surprise audit from the IRS” or “seeing those flashing red and blue lights in your car rear view mirror and realizing it’s for you.” The word root canal has become synonymous with one of the things people hear about and dread.
Here’s the funny part (not that there is anything funny about pain), but a root canal is NOT the villain. The tooth causing all the pain and drama is.
Think of your tooth as the one neighbor you share a giant tree with. The tree is on your side of the yard, but hangs over theirs. At first, there are subtle hints that they aren’t happy with the leaves on their lawn. Then it’s passive-aggressive piles showing up on your side. Before long, they’re sending complaint emails to the HOA and threatening to chop the tree down the next time you go on vacation (true story). Things can get out of hand, fast!
So, how do you know when your tooth needs help and a trip to see your favorite dentist?
Here are some signs:
- Every time you eat ice cream, your tooth has a fit
Is your latest obsession with blended frappuccinos or eating frozen yogurt causing you to question your life’s choices?
It’s normal to have some sensitivity to hot or cold things, but if the pain lingers, your tooth may be telling you that there is something going on with the nerve inside, or it may have an infection.
In other words, your tooth is a drama queen, but it has a reason to be one.
- You have a toothache that just won’t go away
If your tooth throbs for hours, wakes you up in the middle of the night, or sends stabbing pain throughout your jaw, it’s time to call your dentist for a visit. Your toothache is like your mouth’s version of a check engine light on your car. Covering it up with pain relievers is like putting a sticker over the red flashing dashboard light, hoping it will go away.
- You avoid chewing on one side of your mouth
Carefully nibbling food on one side of your mouth, like a squirrel with a tasty treat, is not the way we should be eating normally. That’s you trying to protect a painful tooth rather than finding out why it’s causing pain.
- Your tooth has changed color
Teeth aren’t supposed to turn grey or black. A darkened tooth can mean there’s a major cavity, an infection, or nerve damage. It might not be painful (yet), but it definitely needs to be checked out by your dentist.
- Your gums are screaming their own opinion
Sometimes there aren’t any warning signs from your teeth, but there are from your gums. If you have tenderness, swollen gums, consistent bleeding from your gums (despite not brushing hard), or a small bump on your gums near a tooth that looks like a pimple (it may be draining and may or may not be painful), these all may be signs of an infection. Your gums are saying, “Please call your dentist now!”
So, what happens if you need a root canal?
Here’s the good news: the modern root canal is nothing like your great Aunt Mary told you horror stories about when she was young.
In today’s modern dental office, with multiple forms of sedation to keep you comfortable and pain-free, most patients find the procedure to be surprisingly similar to getting a filling. The real pain usually comes before the root canal – not during it, although there may be some discomfort after the procedure as well.
During a root canal, your dentist will remove the infected areas inside the tooth and carefully clean the area, then fill and seal it to prevent future infection. Your tooth will need a crown during a second visit to keep it from further infection down the road.
Do Not Wait!
Ignoring an infected tooth rarely ends well for most people.
Infection can spread, and the pain can get unbearable (especially at night and on weekends when your dentist’s office is closed), and in a worst-case scenario, your dentist will not be able to save the tooth.
The Bottom Line
If your tooth is screaming every time you have a cold drink or chomp on your favorite snacks, or is causing any kind of throbbing or sharp pain, don’t wait. Call us at Mid Cities Dental for your appointment now!
Root canals are famous for the pain they cause and not so famous for the image people have of them. But your tooth will thank you. And who knows, you may leave our dentist’s office after the procedure saying, “That wasn’t so bad.”