For the past several days, you’ve had an excruciating toothache. Although it flares up when you drink iced tea or a hot cup of coffee, the pain is difficult to ignore, and you resolve to call your dentist for an emergency appointment. But then, it suddenly goes away. At first, you’re thrilled because the pain is gone, and you can carry on with your day without having to get a root canal, right? The truth is that your tooth still likely requires professional treatment. Read on to learn more about why tooth pain subsiding could be a bad sign.
What Tooth Pain Can Indicate
Not all instances of tooth discomfort or sensitivity automatically point to a root canal or a dental emergency. However, in many instances, tooth pain is a sign that the center of the tooth, called the pulp where the tooth’s nerve is located, has become infected with decay. Acids produced by bacteria irritate the nerve, causing that intense pain. Unfortunately, unlike a cold or some other medical illnesses, tooth decay isn’t something that eventually goes away on its own. It requires treatment, often a root canal.
Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Emergency Treatment
Whether you think you can “tough it out” or you’re worried about how much treatment will cost, it’s never a good idea to wait to seek help from your dentist. Dental problems only get worse over time, which means that addressing a little toothache now is likely to involve less invasive treatment and cost than a serious toothache or no pain at all later. In other words, you may not wish to pay for or undergo a root canal, but isn’t that better than having to replace the tooth altogether?
How Tooth Pain Can Stop
You may be wondering—if a deep cavity doesn’t disappear on its own, how could the tooth stop hurting? Eventually, if the decay penetrates deep enough and isn’t treated, the tooth nerve actually dies. When this occurs, the painful sensation stops. While that may seem like a good thing, it indicates that the tooth itself has died. For some patients at this point, there’s still enough healthy tooth structure to be saved with a root canal; however, for others, this change could mean that the infected tooth needs to be removed entirely.
Ultimately, if you’re dealing with dental pain, you should contact your dentist immediately for an appointment. By taking care of the issues as early as possible, you can save yourself trouble and pain as well as some money by needing a less invasive treatment. Don’t try to wait until the pain is gone—by then it could already be too late to save your natural tooth.
About the Author
With 40 years of dentistry experience, Dr. Jack Markusen has shown that he is a leader in the dental field. In addition to serving as South Carolina state president of the American Society of Dentistry for Children, he has worked as public information officer for the South Carolina chapter of the Academy of General Dentistry, one of the country’s most prestigious professional organizations. He is happy to help any patient who is experiencing a dental emergency with compassionate and expertise. Do you have a tooth that is hurting or was hurting and has now stopped? Contact our office and schedule an appointment today!