Painful and Sensitive Tooth?

Question

I went to the dentist about 5 weeks ago. I had routine x-rays done and everything seemed fine. Now I a throbbing pain in my bottom molar. The pain gets much worse with hot and cold, worse with hot things. I am going to call my dentist, but it may take some time for me to be able to get in. What does this sound like? My mom said it sounds like I may need a root canal. Could this feeling come from a cavity? I'm only 27, so I think that is young to need a root canal. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

It sounds like a cavity. You'll probably need a filling! :(

Or your tooth enamel may have been eroded, and the root may be exposed. Hot and cold foods can hurt if your enamel has been affected by acidic foods.  

Answer 2

Since you just had an exam and x-rays, I would hope it isn't a cavity that has gotten into the nerve b/c they really missed it then. 27 is NOT young for a root canal. We have teens that get root canals all the time. Anyways, likely problems would be possibly wisdom teeth, grinding/clenching of teeth, or brushing too hard/ using a medium or hard bristled toothbrush that has caused recession/wear around gumline areas. There is one possibility that could cause you to need a root canal that wouldn't involve your dentist missing the bar. That would be if you had a dead tooth. This is a tooth that doesn't have a cavity and usually at some point was hit with something (hit tooth playing sports, car accident, fight, etc). A hard hit/ trauma can cause the nerve of a tooth to die. It may not cause problems for years and years until one day it goes nuts. You may want to try a sensitive toothpaste to see if it helps. Brush on, do NOT rinse, just spit and don't rinse/eat/drink for at least 30 minutes. Otherwise you will rinse the sensitive toothpaste active ingredient off.  

Answer 3

You said that your xrays were fine so that means you had no cavities, Mybe you have bitten on something that caused a fine crack or you could have something lodged between the two, I know that ora jel now has a new product for sensitive teeth that will work for up to 30 days. that could give you some temporary relief until you can return to the dentist