Why Does My Tooth Hurt?

Most people’s 32 permanent teeth are in place by their late teens. Each of those teeth is susceptible to pain in or around it at one time or another, and you may need to see an endodontist. An endodontist focuses on diagnosing tooth pain, providing root canal therapy and performing other procedures related to the interior of a tooth.

Concho Valley Endodontics’s state-of-the-art facility gives us the tools to treat our patients with the utmost precision. We combine our knowledge of traditional methods with advanced technology to get the best possible results. 

Toothaches vary in intensity, symptoms and reasons. In some instances, the pain may be throbbing, sharp and constant for no obvious explanations. Other circumstances may bring on sharp or dull pain only when pressure is put on the tooth. Causes can include an abscess, a fracture, an injury, decay, a marred filling, a major chip, infected gum tissue and constant grinding (called bruxism). The first four causes are frequent reasons for needing endodontic treatment. 

See an endodontist about a toothache if: the pain lasts up to two days, is severe, occurs when your mouth is wide open, is accompanied by a fever or earache, or is very sensitive to hot as well as cold. The discomfort from a tooth that’s severely infected is unmistakably unpleasant. Even more significant is that a dental infection can spread to other areas of the face and skull, and perhaps into the bloodstream, which is all the more reason to see an endodontist right away. 

Once in the dental chair, the endodontist will query you about where and when the pain started, its severity, and what makes it feel better or worse. He will then thoroughly examine your teeth, gums, tongue, jaws, neck, nose, ears, throat and sinuses. He will likely take X-rays. If the tooth’s nerve is exposed or infected, the endodontist will perform root canal therapy. He may prescribe an antibiotic if you have a fever or swollen jaw. 

A diseased tooth can frequently be saved with endodontic treatment. The office of Concho Valley Endodontics is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Whether you require a root canal, endodontic re-treatment, surgical root canal therapy, or the most delicate treatment of a cracked or fractured tooth, count on us to restore proper form and function to your teeth. For more information about our practice or to schedule an appointment, please call us today.