Toothache Relief  Changing Your View Of Root Canals

Toothache relief can’t come fast enough when it feels like your head is about to explode with pain. A severe toothache can come on you with no prior warning.

In fact it is not uncommon to be awakened at night with a tooth abscess. But it is also possible for tooth pain to start with a little sensitivity that may last for weeks before developing into a severe toothache.

Why does a toothache hurt so much? I’ve been a root canal specialist for over 20 years and I’ve been asked this question many times.  I’ve seen many people exasperated for immediate toothache relief who can’t believe how much pain a little tooth can cause.

Inflammation or infection anywhere in your body causes pain. The pain is usually a result of swelling that impinges on surrounding nerve fibers. It is more severe in and around your tooth primarily because there is so little space for the swelling.

This lack of space creates quick and intense impingement on nerve fibers that leads to a severe toothache begging for toothache relief.

There are two possible sources of pain when you have an abscess. Tooth pain can come from inside the tooth or it can come from the ligament, bone, and gum surrounding the tooth.

A severe toothache often comes from a pulpitis.  This is an inflammation of the dental pulp. The dental pulp is the soft tissue on the inside of the tooth. It contains blood vessels as well as nerve tissue.  When it becomes inflamed it wants to swell.

Unfortunately the pulp can’t swell because it is trapped within the hard tooth structure. That means there is impingement on the pulp’s nerve fibers. This can cause a severe toothache. Toothache relief in this case will come through root canal therapy.

You can also have pain from an abscess. Tooth pain in this case is actually coming from the tissue surrounding the tooth. Infection on the inside of the tooth causes the tissue around your tooth to begin to swell.

There are also many nerve fibers in the ligament and bone surrounding a tooth. As this tissue becomes inflamed there is impingement on these nerve fibers. Again, it will take root canal therapy to bring toothache relief.

What causes a toothache to develop? There are several possible causes of a severe toothache. These include:

• Deep cavity.
• Cracked tooth.
• Previous filling or crown.
• Trauma. You can bite down on a tooth and cause a toothache. Bumping your tooth in an accident may also cause tooth pain to develop.
• Gum disease. This usually doesn’t cause a severe toothache. The pain associated with gum disease is usually more moderate but on occasion it may be more severe.
• Sinus infection.  This will feel like a toothache but doesn’t require dental treatment.
• Referred pain. It is possible to have a non-dental problem refer pain to your jaw. This is why it is important to be examined by a dentist if you have a severe toothache.

What is the treatment for a toothache? The most common treatment for a severe toothache is root canal therapy. A root canal or extraction will be needed if you have a root canal abscess. Tooth pain that comes from a sinus infection or other cause will need to be treated accordingly.

Millions of teeth are saved each year around the world with root canal therapy. It is very common to have a severe toothache originating from a tooth abscess. Tooth pain can then be relieved by an extraction or root canal therapy.

Unfortunately, many people choose to have their tooth extracted because of their fear of root canals. I wrote The Relaxed Root Canal  to help people understand root canals, conquer their fear, and save their tooth.

I answer more than 80 of the most commonly asked questions about root canals. I also tell you the one thing that most people do when they have a toothache but shouldn’t.  For more information CLICK HERE.

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