Inflammation of the pulp (dental pulp or colloquially (incorrectly) dental nerve) or apical periodontium can cause pain or be completely asymptomatic.
If discomfort occurs, it may be caused by acute pulpitis or a flare-up of chronic pulpitis.
To consider further therapeutic measures, it is first useful to distinguish between reversible and irreversible pulpitis. The term reversible pulpitis can be used to describe clinical experience rather than the actual condition of the pulp.
- Reversible pulpitis: stabbing, short-lasting stimulus-dependent (seconds) pain to hot, cold, sweet, sour, which can be precisely localized.
- Irreversible pulpitis: pulsating, throbbing, persistent, stimulus outlasting pain on heat stimuli, which radiates; night pain.
As inflammation progresses, the classic symptoms of infection may also appear: Redness, heating, swelling, pain and functional limitation.
Since pain is a subjective sensation, pulpitis is perceived differently by each person and depending on its stage. Nevertheless, the dentist can use the combination of a wide variety of symptoms, in the appropriate temporal sequence, evoked or relieved by diverse stimuli, as an important mosaic piece of his diagnostic workup.
