Left unchecked, infections in the interior of your tooth can cause a wide range of symptoms and even spread beyond the interior of your tooth into the interior of your jaw and bloodstream. If a serious tooth infection spreads beyond your tooth and into your bloodstream, it can place your general health at risk and require urgent tooth extraction to eliminate those risks. A timely root canal near you can prevent unnecessary tooth extractions.
To avoid risks to your general health and to preserve your natural teeth whenever possible, you should know the signs of tooth infections that root canals can resolve if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms — especially if any combination of these symptoms — contact our dentist in Waterloo as soon as possible for advice and support.
Tooth and Gum Pain May Mean You Need a Root Canal
If you have tooth pain, you may need to see our dentist about undergoing a root canal in Waterloo. This is especially true if your pain worsens when pressure is placed on the affected tooth, such as when you chew or brush that tooth.
Swelling and Inflammation May Mean You Need a Root Canal
Swelling may appear in an isolated area along your gum line or affect your neck and face completely. That swelling may, in some cases, be accompanied by tenderness to the touch. Swelling can also indicate the need to see our dentist to investigate the presence of any infection and any need for root canal treatment.
Even if the swelling and tenderness diminish when you take over-the-counter medications, there still may be an underlying infection that warrants investigation and consideration of the need for root canal treatment.
Severe Sensitivity to Temperature May Mean You Need a Root Canal
You’re probably familiar with the sensation of a sensitive tooth. Routine and familiar tooth sensitivity is common and is not, alone, a serious concern. However, if you’re experiencing severe tooth sensitivity to either heat or cold, that sensitivity may indicate a serious infection requiring root canal treatment.
Changes to the Colour of a Tooth May Mean You Need a Root Canal
The colour of your teeth can change for many mundane reasons, including drinking coffee, drinking wine, eating curries, and even age. Generally speaking, though, factors that change the colour of your teeth affect all your teeth simultaneously and equally.
If just one tooth seems to be changing colour, those changes may indicate a serious infection requiring root canal therapy. That is especially true if that same tooth is particularly sensitive or painful.
A dental abscess may mean you need a root canal
Serious infections inside a tooth can lead to the production of abscesses filled with pus. Depending on where they are located, these abscesses can cause swelling in your gums, face, throat, and neck. They can also release pus into your mouth and cause bad breath and a foul taste.
If your infected tooth has produced pus-filled abscesses, this is an indication that the infection is well-advanced and very serious. You should contact our dentist in Waterloo as quickly as possible for a careful inspection of your teeth and gums and an informed determination of whether you need our root canal near you.
While these symptoms do not necessarily mean you need root canal therapy, they are all individual — and especially in combination — indications of potentially serious tooth infections that require intervention. To save your health and teeth, contact our dentist near you if you’re experiencing these symptoms.