If Your Tooth Doesn’t Hurt Do You Have to Get the Root Canal Treatment?
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My dentist said that I have a tooth needing a root canal treatment. But, the tooth doesn’t hurt me. Because of that, can I put off getting the root canal treatment? If so, how long?
Avril
Dear Avril,
If your tooth does not hurt and hasn’t for a while, you may be safe to put off the root canal treatment. I can’t tell you how long you can wait. It could flare up again at any time. What I can do is give you some general principles as to when you would definitely want to have the root canal done.
First, if it starts to hurt again you will want to get it taken care of right way. It means you have an active infection. You don’t want to let that spread. When a tooth infection spreads it can turn life threatening. Think about how close your brain, heart, and lungs are to your jaw. I would schedule an urgent appointment dental appointment and get it dealt with. People still die from untreated tooth infections.
If you develop anything like a pimple on one of your gums, that is an abscess. This is another sign of an active infection.
Other than that you may have an arrested infection which could be okay to wait. There is one possible downside to leaving an arrested infection. Sometimes you can end up with something known as external resorption. When this happens the infection eats the root of the tooth. Then, eventually, you won’t have enough root left to save the tooth. Then you’ll have to extract the tooth and replace it.
If you are waiting because of finances. Wait and save up. Otherwise, I might just go ahead and get the root canal over with. The good news is that people often discover they suddenly feel a bit better once they deal with the infection. Our general health and our oral health are interconnected.
This blog is brought to you by a friendly dentist in Arnold, MD Dr. Meredith Esposito.