Ask Mike Allen – Discomfort When Eating
A patient wants to know if his painful tooth needs treatment.
Today’s question comes from a patient who is reluctant to ‘trouble’ us with, what he feels, is a minor dental issue.
Q. I noticed, a few weeks ago, that I was experiencing some ‘sensation’ when eating. I wouldn’t call it pain or even discomfort at that stage but it has been getting increasingly worse, and, whilst not still ‘painful’ it is now uncomfortable to the point where I am choosing to eat salmon rather than steak, for example, as it puts less pressure on the tooth. I’ve never been one to bother doctors or dentists with trivial complaints and am tempted to leave it until it becomes more of a problem. My wife insists that I should call you now but it doesn’t seem significant enough yet. I’m not sure what to do; any thoughts?
Hi and thanks for the question. There are a few points I would like to raise from it. Firstly, any dental discomfort is unlikely to be trivial and you acknowledge yourself that you expect it to get worse. Secondly, patients do not bother dentists although we appreciate your sentiments. That is what we are here for, to help you have healthy teeth and gums, and, if you so desire, a great smile with our range of cosmetic dental procedures too. So let’s see how we can help with your problematic tooth….
To get to your specific problem; of course, we would need to see you to diagnose the problem correctly and treat it accordingly. What I can almost guarantee though is that the longer you leave it, the worse it will get and treatment is likely to be more extensive if you do so.
Without examining your teeth, it is impossible to say what the problem is. However, there are a couple of possibilities which spring to mind.
Cracked tooth – One possibility is that you have a cracked tooth. This is a common cause of this type of discomfort and it may be that this crack has allowed bacteria to enter the softer inner part of the tooth, causing dental decay. If this is the case, then it may be that a simple filling will resolve the problem. A larger amount of decay may mean that a crown is needed instead. What is certain though is that, if it is decay, it will only spread and you may well end up needing an emergency appointment at Mike Allen’s dental clinic in Burton when you have severe toothache.
Infected canal – Another possibility is that you have an infection in the root canals of your tooth. This can lead to an abscess if not treated, and you will certainly know if you get one of those! Where an infection has occurred in the root canals, the only way to treat it is with a root canal procedure. This involves the removal of the top of the tooth and cleaning out the canals before filling them and adding a dental crown.
Whatever the actual problem turns out to be though, the key thing is to act quickly and call our Burton dental practice on 01283 845345 for an appointment so that we can start your treatment promptly.