Diagnosis & decisions
Tooth pain diagnosis in Rugby
Toothache is a poor witness to its own cause: it can seem to come from the wrong tooth, the wrong jaw or the ear, and not every ache means a nerve has died. Effective care begins with a precise diagnosis.
Why diagnosis comes first
Pain from an inflamed pulp is often referred to a neighbouring tooth or the opposite jaw. Treating the tooth you point to rather than the tooth that is ill is the most expensive mistake in endodontics — and entirely avoidable. Root canal treatment is only started here after a diagnosis confirmed by testing.
What the consultation involves
- History. When the pain began, what provokes it, how long it lasts, whether it wakes you and what eases it.
- Examination of teeth, restorations and gums, with a search for swelling, cracks and draining spots.
- Nerve testing. Cold, and sometimes heat, applied to individual teeth shows whether each nerve is healthy, inflamed or unresponsive.
- Bite and percussion tests pick up inflammation around a root tip or a crack in a cusp.
- X-rays. Low-dose digital images show infection at the root tips, decay and the condition of previous root fillings.
Allow about 45 minutes. You leave with a written summary of what we found, what we recommend and — if treatment is needed — the likely outcome and the fee.
Common findings
- A nerve that can recover — short sensitivity from decay or a recent filling.
- A nerve past the point of recovery — pain to hot and cold that lingers, throbbing that starts on its own, pain that disturbs sleep.
- Infection at the root — tenderness on biting, swelling or a gum boil from a tooth whose nerve has died.
- A cracked tooth — sharp pain on biting, hard to localise.
- Not a tooth at all — sinus congestion, jaw joint or muscle pain, or nerve pain.
Before your appointment
Note which side hurts, what triggers it and whether painkillers help, and bring recent X-rays or ask your dentist to send them. If the pain is severe or there is a swelling, say so when you get in touch.