Cavity Pain Vs. Tooth Decay: Understanding the Difference
Cavity pain turns into a root canal when the tooth decay has spread deep enough to reach your tooth’s nerve, causing sharp, throbbing pain.
How do you know it’s cavity pain vs when it’s not?
Cavity pain is quick and goes away immediately, while tooth decay lingers. Not only is it noticeably more painful, but it can even wake you up in the middle of the night.
If this sounds like where you’re at right now, this dental health guide is for you.
At Sheehan Dental, our Palos Park family dental clinic, we see this all the time: someone ignores “little” cavity pain, hoping it will fade, and then one day the pain is so bad that a root canal is the only way to save the tooth.
The good news? If you come in early for a dental checkup, a root canal may be avoided. read more

