Tooth decay, trauma or cracks can cause the nerves of teeth to die. When this occurs your tooth can often still be saved with root canal therapy. Severe pain, swelling, sensitivity to hot or cold, or a darkening tooth, are signs that a root canal problem exists.
The purpose of root canal therapy is to eliminate tooth pain.
Symptoms that might indicate the need for root canal therapy include:
1) significant, constant pain, including pain that can wake you up at night,
2) increased symptoms specifically when you lie down,
3) significant sensitivity to hot or cold,
4) pain upon chewing on that tooth,
5) a darkening of the color of only one tooth,
6) the appearance of a pimple or fistula in the gum.
A tooth might need root canal therapy even in the absence of any pain . This can occur if the damage to the nerve is so severe that all sensation of pain is lost. Root canal therapy may still be indicated to prevent the spread of infection, asymptomatically, in the surrounding jawbone.
