Symptoms of Endodontic Disease

By Brian J. Gray, DDS, MAGD, FICOI

What Are the Most Common Symptoms of Endodontic Disease?

Endodontic disease can manifest itself with a wide variety and combination of symptoms. Common symptoms of endodontic disease include:

• Lingering sensitivity to cold liquids.
• Lingering sensitivity to hot liquids.
• Sensitivity to sweets.
• Pain to biting pressure.
• Pain that is referred from a tooth to another area, such as the neck, temple, or the ear.
• Spontaneous toothache, such as that experienced while reading a magazine, watching television, etc.
• Constant or intermittent pain.
• Severe pain.
• Throbbing pain.
• Pain that may occur in response to atmospheric pressure changes, such as when flying or scuba diving.
• Pain that may occur in response to postural changes, such as when going from a standing to a reclining position.
• Swelling.

If you have any of these symptoms, it would be wise to see your dentist because you might have root canal disease or another dental problem. Some of these symptoms may also be attributable to decay, defective fillings, periodontal diseases, cracked teeth, or other tooth- or bite-related problems. On other occasions, the symptoms may even be caused by disorders that are not related to the teeth.

Why May Endodontic Disease Cause Swelling?

When the pulpal tissue becomes severely diseased and necrotic, the resultant infection can spread from inside the tooth into the adjacent bone and soft tissues. As a result, swelling can occur in the tissues immediately surrounding the tooth. If this situation is not treated and the disease process is not kept under control by the body's defenses, the infection can begin to spread into other tissue spaces, such as those around the eye or in the neck. In some situations, this can become a serious medical emergency.