How can a tooth that's nerve has died feel pain?!


Question: How can a tooth that's nerve has died feel pain?
Hi All

I had extreme pain in my back top tooth, (one from the back) and the dentist said it was deep decay. She scraped it all out and did a very deep filling. I didn't feel any pain so she reckons the nerve has died, because it was very deep.

Now though when I press my tongue against the filling, I get a nervy pain shoot up the tooth, what could this be, I thought the nerve had died? I'm really hoping I won't have to have a tooth removed cos I'm sooo scared of pain......

Help!

Answers:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

If a nerve is dead then root canal is done. Sometime it can difficult for the dentist to determine the status of the nerve, ie the nerve can be inflamed and may die (but may recover). Thus the diagnosis is not cut and dried. If unsure one likes to give the tooth a chance.... in order to avoid expense/time of root canal treatment.

When the nerve HAS died toxins are produced ,and this causes the pain. thus you do get pain from a dead nerve.... and the root canal (or extraction) solves this. Extraction is done either when the tooth is unsavable, or the patient opts for it.

In your case it seems the nerve is quite unhealthy/inflamed and you are heading for decision time. If you decide for extraction it should be painless

Dentist



Hi ,

Good question and I have had something similar happen to me. I am not the best dental patient and I used to lose sleep the night before as I was so scared and petrified due to an extremely horrendous experience when I was younger.

But no more as I have a very sympathetic dentist who explains everything to me so that i know what is going on and he uses the least invasive procedure as a matter of course.

You need to overcome your fear from past experience to get the treatment you need as pain, worry and loss of sleep must be overcome.

Get the Free Fear report as that helped me and my friends .

All the best, Keep smiling.

http://bit.ly/brokentooth



If the tooth was filled, then the nerve did not die. Dentists do not fill teeth with dead nerves until after a root canal has been done. It is not uncommon to not feel any pain when very deep cavities are filled so the pain you now feel is most likely the nerve trying to heal itself from the trauma of having the cavity fixed. It is common to have some discomfort for a period of time (varies with different people and how deep the cavity was) after a deep cavity has been filled.

DDS



You can't. Unless it's referred pain from another tooth. You need to call your endodontist/dentist right away.





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