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Two years ago I had a lower left molar which, when I ate something hot, would ache for 30 minutes. This is a sign that I needed a root canal. I went to the dentist and he confirmed it so I got a root canal.
Just now, I've been having pain when I bite down on tooth #2 or 3. (Tooth #1 is a wisdom tooth that is long gone.) I got xrays and the dentist said tooth #3 has a gray area which means a huge cavity and I should get a root canal.
My question is, there is no lingering pain in that area. There is only a sharp pain when I bite there. The pain stops immediately. Doesn't that mean I don't need a root canal?
Also, the gray area is near the back of tooth #3. Sometimes it seems like the pain is actually in tooth #2. Does it happen sometimes, that the pain in one tooth seems like it's from a different tooth?
The pain doesn't determine the problem. The pain is only one symptom. Some people will need a root canal and not notice symptoms. Some people will have symptoms that make them think they need a root canal, but they don't. I have receding gums in part of my mouth, which makes my teeth sensitive to excessive cold, excessive heat, and sometimes even a sharp intake of breath. My teeth, in that area, are in great shape, just a little plaque, but no cavities and the roots are just fine.
If you have decay on a molar, then the decay needs to be eliminated and the space needs to be filled in. If that decay is within the deeper part of the tooth where the root begins, then you'll need a root canal, because there exists no way to drill away only the decay, without any risk to the root. Much easier to just go for the root canal, than even attempt to drill the decay and -hope- you don't end up needing a root canal an hour later.
The pain doesn't determine the problem, but it leads to the conclusion! Yes it's a symptom but you have to break that symptom down even further. So for example, if someone was to tell me about pain on a specific tooth, I would ask if the pain is spontaneous or is it provoked? Does it wake you up in the middle of the night? Does drinking warm water cause the same pain as drinking cold water?
Maybe your bite just needs to be readjusted. If someone came in and said it hurts when I bite down I would most definitely do an exam and look for someone like a cracked tooth. Take a radiograph and see what the apical diagnosis would be. That tooth doesn't have to have a cavity in it in order to get a root canal, teeth go bad all the time, especially if there was trauma to the tooth. So there are a series of tests a dentist would do to determine what the problem is and where it's coming from. The results of those tests would determine what to do next! Hope this helps.
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