Duration

Toothache in dental root inflammation not only varies greatly in its form, but the duration varies individually. On the one hand, there are patients who are completely free of complaints after root canal treatment, on the other hand, there are patients whose complaints do not subside even after optimal root canal treatment. But how can it be possible that one and the same disease offers such variability in the duration of symptoms?

Temporal differences between acute and chronic root canal inflammation are quite realistic. Acute root canal inflammation usually has a rapid course of symptoms. The inflammation occurs quickly and the symptoms become increasingly worse before treatment.

After successful treatment, however, the person affected usually has no more complaints. In the case of chronic inflammation of the tooth root, the course of treatment is longer. The symptoms appear very slowly, which is why they do not cause pain for every patient, but the course and treatment is not always completed after the root canal treatment.

The inflammation below the root tip needs time to subside. The duration of the pain can also be prolonged if the medication that is introduced into the root canal does not work. If the patient is resistant to medication, the pain lasts longer and an alternative medication must be used to reduce the inflammation.

If the symptoms have not subsided after medication and irrigation, the procedure must be repeated until the tooth no longer causes pain. In general, the course of symptoms of dental root inflammation is complex and the duration cannot be determined in advance. The duration depends on the medication, the complexity of the tooth, the success of the root canal treatment and the individual course of the disease. The general physical condition also plays a role, which is why the duration of the pain varies from a few days to weeks and months.

Tooth root inflammation without pain

An inflammation of the tooth root is usually associated with severe pain, but sometimes an inflammation of the tooth root is discovered as a chance finding by an X-ray without the person affected having had any pain or even noticed anything. But how is it possible that one and the same disease causes such different reactions and symptoms? Studies with test persons have shown that the evaluation of pain in the brain and the pain memory are individually adapted.

For example, a light sunburn can be very painful for one person, but others hardly notice it. Genetic ancestry also influences this issue. According to studies, northern Europeans are much less sensitive to pain than southerners.

The individually pronounced pain memory, pain perception and evaluation in the brain can be shaped by experiences and external influences. For example, a person cannot even perceive slight pain of a dental root inflammation because the brain inhibits pain processing and thus the signal does not even arrive. This phenomenon is called “descent pain inhibition” by doctors and varies from person to person.

Furthermore, happiness hormones, the so-called endorphins, which are released in increased amounts during positive events such as sport and sexual intercourse, can cover up pain symptoms and make them not noticeable at all. If the release of these messenger substances decreases, however, pain can reappear. Furthermore, genetic defects are known in which only one chromosome in the genetic material is altered.

The consequence of this is the inability to feel pain at all.Often an inflammation of the tooth root is completely asymptomatic if it is chronic and does not develop acutely. An acute disease is associated with a rapid progression of the disease, whereas in the case of a chronic disease, the progression can stretch over years. Since in this case the disease develops so slowly, the body does not feel any pain as it can slowly get used to the pain conditions.

The inflammation below the root apex often develops years or decades after a trigger such as a blow or fall in childhood and accompanies the patient unnoticed for a long period of life. For this reason, X-rays are advisable at a regular interval of 2 years after such an accident at the earliest, in order to detect chronic inflammation of the tooth root at an early stage and to treat it specifically. This is because it cannot be ruled out that the bacteria of chronic tooth root inflammation enter the bloodstream and then damage the heart and other organs. Because of this danger, any inflammation of the teeth should be treated as soon as possible to avoid any chance of secondary diseases.