What is a Hot Tooth?

OUCH! This tooth will not stop hurting! My facefeels swollen, and it hurts constantly!

When you hear the term hot tooth, it is not actually referring to the temperature of the tooth, but rather the state of the tooth.

Let’s try to answer the question of what a hot tooth is. A hot tooth generally refers to a tooth that has been diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis. Irreversible pulpitis occur whenthere is severe inflammation , and the pulp cannot be saved.Don’t get scared off by the ‘irreversible’ part of the definition. There are still a few ways for the pulpitis to be treated and for the pain to stop.

Symptoms of a hot tooth might include dull ache,extreme sensitivityto hot or cold (though cold may provide relief) lingering pain after removal of a stimulus, spontaneous pain, or referred pain.

Just because you have a hot tooth does not necessarily mean that you did something wrong or neglected your teeth. There are many reasons why a person would get pulpitis ranging from a deep cavity, trauma, tooth grinding, or repeated dental work on the same tooth. 

The definitive treatment for irreversible pulpitis is getting endodontic therapy (Root Canal). During the root canal the endodontist will remove the inflamed pulp tissue in order to stop the pain.

With a hot tooth one thing that occurs often is the affected tooth tends to be less responsive or even nonresponsive to local anesthesia. At Specialist Care Endodontics we have different techniques of administration of local anesthesia and nitrous oxide sedation that can help alleviate the pain and allow us to get to work on getting you and that tooth out of pain.

If you have any additional questions or concerns and to book an appointment contact the office of Dr. Misra – Sauparn at Specialist Care Endodontics (703) 650-9990.

About us:Specialist Care Endodontics is an endodontic practice that is a top pick for general dentists to refer patients in need of root canals and apicoectomies. We are an endodontic specialist serving the northern Virginia area in Woodbridge and Vienna (Close to Tysons Corner). We accept most insurances and do a verification of your benefits before your appointment. We are open Monday – Friday from 8am to 6pm and have Saturday appointments available by request, booking is available online and over the phone. We look forward to hearing from you!