Having Pain While Chewing? You Might Need Root Canal Treatment

Getting root canal treatment can help bring back your oral health. Pain is not a normal sensation while chewing. The tooth causing you pain must receive treatment right away. If you want to know how a root canal treatment can help you with your dental problem, here are the details.

The main cause

Chewing should be painless. Pain is often a sign of infection. An appointment with the dentist can determine if the pain is due to an infection. Digital dental X-rays will pinpoint the origin of the tooth pain. The most common cause of such pain is a tooth abscess.

A dental abscess is a pus pocket in the tooth. This is from a lingering tooth infection and can form on different areas of the tooth. It can also happen at the side of the root if the abscess is in the gums (periodontal abscess).

An abscess in the side of a tooth happens when bacteria invade the pulp. The tooth’s pulp contains connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. The bacteria enter the pulp through a crack or a chip and spreads all the way to the root, resulting in the inflammation of the root’s tip. The dentist will perform a root canal treatment to help correct the discomfort from the patient’s tooth abscess.

A dental abscess can also happen at the tip of the tooth’s root (periapical abscess). Draining the abscess is the first step to treating it. The patient must see the dentist for a root canal treatment to prevent the infection from spreading into neighboring teeth, gums, or jawbone.

The accompanying symptoms

The pain while chewing and biting is severe and persistent. It is throbbing, and it spreads toward the ear, jawbone, or neck. The patient also experiences tooth sensitivity to cold and hot temperatures. There is also inflammation in the cheek or face, often with fever.

The lymph nodes under the neck or jaw may also be swollen. This is a definite sign of infection and becomes more evident when a salty, foul fluid bursts out of the abscess. The patient often gets relief when the abscess bursts. However, in some cases, the patient experiences difficulty in swallowing and breathing. A root canal treatment can relieve the symptoms.

The risk factors

A high-sugar diet can increase a person’s risk for cavities. Dental caries will grow bigger, broader, and deeper until it reaches the pulp. Bacteria will make their way into the pulp and infect it, becoming an abscess.

Poor oral care can also cause a dental abscess. For example, failure to floss and brush every day can lead to gum disease, cavities, and an abscessed tooth. A dry mouth can also cause this complication. Dry mouth is often due to taking some medications or aging. A root canal treatment can prevent the current bad dental abscess from getting worse.