If you find yourself suffering from severe toothache, the condition could be caused by an inflammation of the tooth pulp, also known as pulpitis. Simply taking painkillers may only temporarily dampen the pain, and you should seek the advice of your weekend or evening dentist as soon as possible. But what is pulpitis and how can your dentist help? Read on to find out more.
What is pulpitis?
The term pulpitis refers to an inflammation of the pulpy tissue within your tooth. This tissue contains living cells, nerves, and blood vessels, which is why you feel pain when pulpitis strikes. You may also feel discomfort and tenderness in the areas where your lymph nodes are situated, for example in your neck, and under your chin or jaw. This is because the lymph nodes become swollen when there is infection nearby.
Causes of pulpitis
There are a number of causes of pulpitis including:
Sometimes, if a patient has undergone a dental procedure, such as a filling or a crown, the tooth may be left sensitive for a short while following the treatment. In many cases, the tooth will gradually recover, although sometimes the pulpitis is irreversible and the tooth dies.
How can your dentist help?
With any incidence of tooth pain you should always seek the advice of your dentist. They will be able to give you a likely cause for the problem and recommend an appropriate treatment.
Your dentist will take a history from you to try to determine the cause of your pain and from this they may make a diagnosis of pulpitis.
If the pain you are experiencing is as a result of temporary inflammation of the tooth pulp following a dental procedure, you may just need to take painkillers for a few days until everything settles down. However, if the pulpitis is being caused by a structural issue, such as decay, it may be necessary to remove the tooth or carry out root canal work to cut off the nerves and thus alleviate the pain.
In conclusion
If you find yourself suffering from chronic or acute toothache, you should seek the advice of your dentist without delay. If you have access to an evening or weekend dentist, always make an emergency appointment, rather than leaving things to the next day or until the following week.
Share29 March 2016
Hi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Kerry, and this blog is focused on dental fillings. It looks at the history of fillings, options for contemporary fillings, how to protect your fillings, when to replace them and much more. If you have ever had a cavity filled or if you are planning to get a tooth filled, you will find the information in this blog useful. I try to look at fillings from all angles, and I even plan to look at how to avoid fillings through proper dental hygiene and sealants. Thanks for reading, and I hope you find the info intellectually "filling."
