When you have a hot tooth, it is highly likely that you are experiencing severe pain in your mouth. A hot tooth is a sign that there is an infection in your mouth, inflammation is present, and your tooth is not able to recover. A hot tooth occurs when you have a cracked tooth and bacteria infect the pulp within. The infection can come on slowly, or come on very quickly, causing you excruciating pain that will send you to the dentist right away.
Treatment May Begin With Antibiotics and Pain Medication
While pain medication may help a little, you will need to have further treatment for a hot tooth so that the infection doesn't spread to the rest of your body. Your dentist may start you on a course of antibiotics to help get rid of the infection, but the tooth itself will no longer be viable. A tooth that gets so infected that it becomes hot is generally diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis, and you will have to get a root canal on that tooth in order to keep the tooth that is left.
The Root Canal Procedure
Many people worry about the pain associated with a root canal, but the pain from a hot tooth is much worse. Your dentist may need to get the infection under control before doing the root canal procedure, but the relief you will feel once your tooth is no longer hot is worth getting a root canal. In general, you won't feel much when you get a root canal. Your dentist will numb the area of your mouth where the hot tooth is, and will proceed carefully to ensure that your tooth is numb from within.
The damaged pulp within your tooth will be removed by the dentist, much like when the decayed part of your tooth is removed when you get a filling. The dentist will fill your tooth with medicine to prevent pain once the numbness wears off. Your tooth will be filled with synthetic materials, and a temporary crown will be placed on top of the filling. Your dentist will use the crown of your old tooth to make an impression which will be turned into a permanent crown.
Once your permanent crown is created, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and cement the permanent crown into place. This will create a new, permanent tooth that you treat just like your other teeth. With no pulp inside the tooth, it can no longer experience pain.
To learn more about root canals, contact a dentist like Rick Chavez DDS.
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