While there are many reasons for “why a root canal is needed”, but what about the lingering question “when is a root canal needed?”
When pain strikes, it is often difficult to put your mind to your routine work and you are constantly thinking about “are these root canal pain symptoms”, “are these signs of root canal treatment?”, “how do I know I need a root canal?” etc. However, this is what your dentist or endodontist will determine.
To determine when a filling is required and when a root canal is needed, a qualified dentist checks all signs and symptoms of the patient. Some symptoms that patients are likely to experience and that also help the dentist evaluate and diagnose the case better are:
– Pain – A pulsating kind of pain that increases on changing posture, mainly while lying down or at night causing excessive pain at night. The tooth is extremely sensitive and painful to touch, tapping, and biting forces.
– Swelling in the gums and surrounding tissue- In most cases, patients visit their dentists when their tooth ache is probably a few days or weeks old and they haven’t been able to reduce it using painkillers.