Your teeth are much more than just the hard outer biting surfaces and the roots. Inside each one is a central chamber containing connective tissue, a nerve supply, and blood vessels. Collectively, these core tissues, known as the dental pulp, help your tooth to grow and mature before it emerges into the mouth. Once your tooth is in place, the dental pulp provides nourishment, keeps the tooth vital, and alerts you of problems.

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Having sensitivity to various stimuli like biting down and eating or drinking hot or cold items is a warning from the nerves inside your tooth that dental decay is present, dental trauma has occurred, or infection is brewing. The degree of pain that you experience depends on the extent of the damage and nerve involvement.

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When a tooth needs a root canal, it is because the dental pulp has become irreversibly damaged or has died. However, if enough intact tooth structure remains, and there’s good bone support around the compromised tooth, you do not need to have the tooth extracted. A fully developed tooth does not require the dental pulp to remain functional. You can preserve your natural tooth by having your dentist perform a root canal on the tooth.

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Although not every instance of dental discomfort indicates the need for root canal therapy, some of the warning signs that you might require this procedure include the following:

• Unresolved, persistent pain

  Pain is your body’s way of signaling that something is amiss. Although, there are many explanations for oral pain, one of the most common reasons is a toothache caused by decay or damage that has affected the tooth’s inner vital tissues. Patients in need of root canal therapy often report dental pain that wakes them up at night.

• Temperature sensitivity

  If the pleasure of sipping hot beverages or foods are overshadowed by dental pain that makes you wince, it's time to contact our office. Extreme sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks can indicate an inflamed, irritated, or non-vital dental pulp.

• Discomfort with pressure or the slightest touch

  If it hurts when you bite and chew or when you just touch the tooth, it may indicate pulpal involvement, irreversible damage to the inner vital tissues of the tooth, or the presence of an infection.

• Darkened, discolored tooth

  A discolored tooth is often a message that the inner vital tissues, including the tooth’s nerve and blood supply, have been compromised. Teeth that have sustained an injury may demonstrate discoloration as the internal tissues have devitalized.

• Chipped, cracked, or fractured tooth

  An injury that chips or fractures a tooth can also traumatize the dental pulp or even compromise so much tooth structure that a root canal procedure is required to save the tooth.

• Swelling around the tooth and gums

  Swelling of the gums around a tooth may indicate that an infection has developed. While the swelling can worsen and cause more harmful consequences, sometimes a dental abscess starts to ooze pus and drain. In either case, prompt care is required.

• Tooth mobility

  The pathology associated with a tooth need of root canal therapy can damage the bone supporting the tooth and produce some mobility. Root canal therapy can often resolve this issue as tissue healing occurs.