One of the most common questions I get is....."Do you think I need a Root Canal?"

This is a very complicated question and depends on many things...so these are the factors we look at to determine...

1. Pain scale (0-10)

2. Is sensitivity brief or lingering?

3. How long has it been present? It is getting increasingly more painful?

4. Sensitive to bite, cold, heat? Is the pain from the tooth? gums? jaw?

5. Has the tooth had any previous work? What type of work and how long ago? How many times has it been fixed?

6. Does it wake you up at night? Does it hurt on its own without stimulation?

7. Are you taking OTC meds for the pain? Is it helping?

8. Any previous or recent trauma to the area? How about to any teeth around the area?

These are some of the many questions that are needed to answer this and even with this information, an examination and xray will still be required to accurately diagnose. Talk to your dentist about this if you are having pain that will not resolve and suspect you may need a root canal?