Symptom: Pressure or dull ache in jaw or upper teeth.
Possible Problem: Teeth grinding or a sinus headache can cause these symptoms.
What to do: See your dentist for relief of teeth grinding. See our office for severe or chronic pain.

Symptom: Lingering pain after eating hot or cold foods.
Possible Problem: Pulp damage by deep decay or trauma.
What to do: See our practice immediately to save the tooth with a root canal treatment.

Symptom: Sensitivity to hot or cold foods after dental treatment.
Possible Problem: Discomfort to hot and cold does not always signal a serious problem. This could be caused by a loose filling or gum recession.
What to do: Use a toothpaste made for sensitive teeth and brush appropriately as instructed by your DDS.

Symptom: After dental treatment sensitivity to hot or cold foods.
Possible Problem: Some dental work may inflame nerves or pulp.
What to do: Wait 4 to 6 weeks. See your general dentist, if pain continues.

Symptom: Constant pain and pressure, gum swelling, sensitivity to touch.
Possible Problem: A tooth that is abscessed can cause the gum and bone to become infected.
What to do: Endodontic evaluation and treatment may be needed to relieve the pain and save the tooth.

Symptom: Chronic ear, neck or head pain.
Possible Problem: A Pulp-damaged tooth can cause pain in the ear, neck and head.
What to do: Contact our office for an evaluation, if the problem is not related to your tooth, we will refer you to an appropriate specialist.

Symptom: Sharp pain when biting down on food.
Possible Problem: Possible pulp damage, crack in the tooth, decay or loose filling.
What to do: See your regular dentist for an evaluation, if necessary, your dentist will refer you to our practice.

A cracked tooth can have many different symptoms, including temperature sensitivities, pain during chewing, or biting pressure. It is common for pain to come and go, making it harder to diagnose the cause of discomfort.

Chewing can cause movement of the cracked pieces of your tooth, and the pulp within the tooth becomes irritated. At the same time, when biting pressure is released, the crack can close quickly, resulting in sharp pain. Eventually, the pulp will become damaged and tooth will consistently hurt, even when you are not chewing. It is possible that cracks can lead to infection of the pulp tissue, which can spread to the bone and gum surrounding the problematic tooth.

Types of Cracks

Craze Lines
Tiny cracks that only affect the outer enamel of the tooth. These cracks are most common in adults and usually of no concern.

Fractured Cusp
When a cusp becomes weakened, a fracture may result. Sometimes the cusp may break off or be removed by a dentist. A root canal is not necessary because a fracture rarely damages the pulp. A full crown will restore the tooth.

Traumatic Injuries

Mouth injuries can cause teeth to be pushed back into their sockets. Your endodontist or general dentist may reposition and stabilize your tooth. Root canal treatment is usually started within a few weeks of the injury and a medication, such as calcium hydroxide, will be placed inside the tooth. Eventually, a permanent root canal filling will be placed.

Teeth may be pushed partially out of the socket. Again, your endodontist or general dentist may reposition and stabilize your tooth. If the pulp remains healthy, then no other treatment is necessary. If the pulp becomes damaged or infected, root canal treatment will need to be done.

Avulsed Teeth
It is important that you are treated immediately, if an injury causes a tooth to be completely knocked out of your mouth. If this should happen, keep the tooth moist. A tooth has a better chance of being saved this way. If possible, put it back into the socket. You can put the tooth in milk or a glass of water (add a pinch of salt.) Root canal treatment can be started, based upon the stage of root development. The length of time the tooth was out of your mouth and the way the tooth was stored may influence the type of treatment you receive.

Injuries in Children
Injured immature teeth may need one of the following procedures to improve the chances of saving the tooth:

• Apexogenesis
  This procedure encourages the root to continue development as the pulp is healed. Soft tissue is covered with medication to encourage growth. The tip of the root (apex) will continue to close as the child gets older. In turn, the walls of the root canal will thicken. If the pulp heals, no additional treatment will be necessary. The more mature the root becomes, the better the chance to save the tooth.
• Apexification
  The unhealthy pulp is removed, then the doctor will place medication into the root to help a hard tissue form near the root tip. This hardened tissue provides a barrier for the root canal filling. At this point, the root canal walls will not continue to develop, making the tooth susceptible to fractures. So it is important to have the tooth properly restored by your dentist.

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