Tooth pain but not cold water pain (hurts, dentist, abscess)

[robertpasa]

If a tooth hurts when it touches cold water, it means there is decay and the nerve is too close to the cold water. I had this problem earlier this year and they took an xray and found tons of decay. Lost the tooth.

I have another tooth now that slightly hurts when I bite on it. Also, if I scrape the tooth with my fingernail, it hurts right where I scraped it. But it does NOT hurt when cold water touches it. What are the possible explanations?

[Hemlock140]

I just went through this with my dentist. He said that sensitivity to cold is normally a cavity, or gum problem. Sensitivity to hot, such as pain when drinking coffee is usually due to a dead nerve, with gasses expanding from the heat and causing pain. In my case it was both, and as he suggested turned out to be a sinus infection, not dental at all. He also said that with no sensitivity to temperature, but pain when biting it’s usually a crack, cavity, or abscess. Whatever it is, best go back. Much as I hate going to the dentist, it only gets worse if you wait.

[saibot]

I had an abcessed tooth that was very sensitive to heat, but not to cold at all. I had to get a root canal because over a period of three days the pain became unbearable.

I was never so relieved to go to the dentist in my life.

[crd08]

My first abscessed tooth was not sensitive to cold. It felt squishy and tender when I pushed on it and hurt on and off, I'd get random rushes of a salty taste in my mouth, then the pain became non-stop and absolutely horrid. Antibiotics weren't helping, nor pain medication. I was so happy when I finally got into the specialist for a root canal.