Inflammation of the dental pulp (acute pain)

Inflammation of the dental pulp (pulpitis) develops when tooth decay reaches the nerve.

Symptoms

• most often sharp spontaneous pain, sometimes radiating to the surroundings
• the pain gets worse at night when lying down and throbs, because blood pressure in the head rises
• sometimes the tooth hurts when biting or tapping
• a tooth can also die without any symptoms

With pulp inflammation a filling is no longer enough and root canal treatment is needed. If you have acute pain, see a dentist as soon as possible, outside office hours the emergency dental service.