Can an Endodontist Diagnose Tooth Pain?

An endodontist can help to diagnose and treat tooth pain. Toothaches are your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong in your mouth. A minor toothache that goes away on its own is not something to be concerned about, but a toothache that keeps coming back is a clear sign a trip to the dentist is needed.

How an endodontist diagnoses and treats tooth pain

Toothaches can be caused by tooth decay eating away at teeth enamel, leaving the more sensitive dentin exposed to acids and bacteria in the mouth. The dentin contains many tiny nerve endings that make it sensitive to sweet, hot, or cold things. That is not the worst type of toothache a person can experience, though.

The worst type of tooth pain is often caused by the damage to a tooth going past the dentin and reaching the pulp chamber. The pulp chamber contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues. These soft tissues are sealed off from the rest of the tooth in the pulp chamber, but damage to a tooth can open the area up. A compromised pulp chamber leads to excruciating pain as acids made by oral bacteria irritate the soft tissues in it. The pain worsens if the tooth becomes infected, and the odds of that occurring go up significantly when the pulp chamber is compromised.

The most effective way to address tooth pain is by diagnosing its root cause and treating the issue. This is typically enough to bring any pain the patient is experiencing to an end.

Ways a dentist might diagnose the cause of tooth pain include:

• Visual examination: An endodontist might be able to determine the cause of a patient’s toothaches by visually examining their teeth. Issues like broken, severely decayed, or fractured teeth can easily be detected visually.
• Probing: The dentist might use their fingers or other dental tools to touch or push the affected tooth, looking to see if it causes the patient pain.
• X-rays: X-rays can be used to detect issues going on underneath a patient’s gumline. It paints a clearer picture of the internal structures of the affected tooth and its roots.

Treatments that might be recommended once the problem causing the patient pain has been detected include:

• Dental filling: Filling can close up holes made by decay or rebuild damaged tooth structures. Composite fillings are the most popular variety nowadays since they can be color-matched with the rest of the patient’s teeth.
• Crowns: These restorations are used to cover up severely damaged or decayed teeth. The crown covers up the visible part of the tooth, preventing acids in the mouth from making contact with it.
• Root canal therapy: Endodontists spend a great deal of their time performing root canals. The treatment is recommended for damage that reaches a tooth’s pulp chamber. It involves removing soft tissues from the tooth, applying medication, and resealing it.