In your body, certain symptoms can be concerning. Especially in your mouth, tooth pain always indicates problems and shouldn’t be ignored. However, when the pain goes away after a while, wouldn’t that mean your body has figured out how to fight it on its own and doesn’t need treatment anymore? Absolutely not.
Unlike other areas of the body, your mouth doesn’t overcome maladies on its own. In other words, you need professional treatment to stop infection and undo the damage done. In this post, you’ll learn why you may experience tooth pain, what it really means if your tooth stops hurting, and why you should visit an endodontist to fully take care of the issue.
Why Does My Tooth Hurt?
Your teeth contain a tiny nerve that can experience discomfort if the nerve is disturbed. When decay or injury impacts the center or pulp of the tooth, where the nerve is located, it triggers a response in the nervous system—it feels painful. Unfortunately, no part of tooth structure regenerates after it’s lost. In other words, without professional intervention, the tooth will continue to hurt and get worse.
What Does It Mean If My Tooth Stops Hurting?
If you wait long enough, your tooth may cease to feel pain, but it doesn’t mean it’s suddenly in better condition. Ultimately, it signals the death of the tooth’s nerve. In this situation, the tooth eventually turns gray, which indicates the decomposition of the tooth nerve from infection.
Although it may seem like a positive development, it could actually point to a larger, more serious problem.
Why Should I Still See an Endodontist If Pain Subsides?
Did you know that tooth decay can jump from tooth to tooth? In fact, the infection can spread to other areas of your body, potentially causing serious conditions or even death. Instead of putting your healthy teeth at risk by keeping a dead tooth, you should visit an endodontist to see if it’s too late to save the tooth structure.
An endodontist will remove the nerve, clean out this inner chamber, seal it off, and restore the tooth with a realistic crown. Although extraction may be necessary in some cases, an endodontist is an expert at saving natural teeth, which is almost always preferred over replacing them.
While you may be able to wait out other kinds of bodily infections, tooth pain points to problems that won’t go away even if the discomfort eventually does. Instead of suffering excruciating pain for no reason, start the treatment process much sooner. Not only can you get out of pain with an endodontist, but you can get back to normal life with your smile intact.
About the Author
As a veteran dentist in the Navy, Dr. Austin Whitmore is an endodontist, which means he specializes in root canal and other treatment inside teeth. Compared to a general dentist, who may perform a handful of endodontic procedures per week, we perform dozens, which means you can depend on our team to complete treatment correctly and comfortably. Our first priority is to relieve pain, so give us a call at 973-281-4184 or visit our website here to contact us.