You need a root canal treatment if you experience any of the following on your teeth:

1. Severe Pain

When your teeth are in pain, it doesn’t always necessarily mean that you need to have it extracted or you’ll undergo Root Canal Treatment (RCT). It depends on the severity of the pain that you are feeling.

There are also some teeth that needs you to undergo RCT but doesn’t hurt at all, so this is only going to be determined by your dentist whether you need it or not.

When the pain ranges from sharp and intense to a dull ache and has happening for quite a few days or so, you should immediately see your dentist.

2. Tenderness, Swelling, and Infection of the Gums

Swelling is an obvious sign of infection but every case doesn’t necessarily mean RCT is needed. Again, it depends with the severity and the dentist can advise whether you need to undergo with the procedure or not.

If the swelling is quite pronounced where you can actually feel or notice a lump and extends into your face and/or neck, and has been going on for days, you may have to see your dentist and inform him/her about these.

3. Gum Boils

Gum boil (fistulous tracts) is a formation of pimple-like lesion in the gum tissues. This is a drain for pus, where instead of building up inside the soft tissues in the mouth and causes tissue enlargement, a fistulous tract gives a way for it to vent off.

These gum boils’ size may rise and fall depending on the infection’s waxing and waning activity. A person is most likely to detect bad taste, since gum boils acts as a drain for pus. The lesion feels tender when touched and tissue swelling is going to form when the tract is blocked.

4. Individually Darkened Tooth

Tooth discoloration is an indicator that there are changes happening within its nerve space, possibly in the pathological sense. The tooth is typically having a color that ranges from dark yellow, gray or black.

This is only a possible sign, and again, it doesn’t immediately mean RCT is needed unless you check with your dentist whether it really is in need for such procedure or not.

Darkening also happens when the tooth has experienced trauma, or there is presence of decay, if a filling is deteriorated or has caused stain (by metal fillings).

5. Sensitivity to Hot and Cold

Together with tooth pain, when you are experiencing high sensitivity to anything hot and cold, this might be a sign that you need to undergo RCT. Also, when you bite using a certain tooth and you feel discomfort. Mild sensitivity is often a symptom, where you would feel pain whenever you take hot or cold foods or liquids and it has been going on for quite a while.

You will have a hunch that there is something wrong inside your mouth because you can feel it – any pain, lump, or sensitivity. When you notice such things, immediately seek your dentist’s help and he/she will be the one to suggest whether you need to have RCT or not.

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