Signs You May Need a Root Canal

Dr. Chinmay H. Patel, MDS

A root canal sounds scary, but it is simply the treatment that saves a tooth whose nerve has become infected. The hard part is knowing when you need one, because the warning signs are easy to dismiss. Here are the ones worth paying attention to.

Pain that lingers or wakes you up

A healthy tooth feels a hot or cold drink for a second. A tooth with an infected nerve keeps aching long after, and the pain often gets worse at night when you lie down. Pain that wakes you at 2am is a classic sign.

Sensitivity to heat

Sensitivity to cold can be harmless. But a tooth that throbs in response to something hot, and settles when you hold something cold against it, usually points to an infection deep inside the tooth.

A pimple on the gum

A small, sometimes recurring bump on the gum near a tooth is the body draining an infection at the root. It may not hurt at all, which is exactly why it gets ignored. It still needs treatment.

Swelling, a bad taste, or a darkening tooth

Facial or gum swelling, a persistent bad taste, or a single tooth slowly turning grey are all signs the nerve has died or is dying. None of these resolve on their own, and waiting only makes treatment harder.