Pulpitis is sensitive to cold or heat?

Written by Fang Xiao
Dentistry
Updated on January 28, 2025
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Pulpitis is sensitive to both cold and heat, and this sensitivity is a symptom of the condition. The dental pulp is protected by enamel and dentin, and generally does not exhibit sensitivity. However, if there are deep cavities, split wedge-shaped defects, severe wear, or fractures that compromise the outer protection, it can lead to inflammation of the dental nerve and sensitivity to temperature changes. In such cases, nerve removal treatment, also known as root canal treatment, is required. Root canal treatment involves the removal of the pulp and necrotic material from the root canal, disinfecting it, and tightly filling the root canal to eliminate any infection that could adversely affect the surrounding periapical tissue and prevent re-infection. Root canal treatment requires three to four follow-up visits and can be costly. Therefore, it is important to detect and treat cavities early.

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Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
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Can a tooth with pulpitis be extracted?

Pulpitis should not be treated with tooth extraction. Pulpitis is a type of acute pain caused by bacterial infection of the tooth nerve. During an episode of pulpitis, the pain can be very severe, including dull pain, throbbing pain, and sharp pain. Sometimes cold, hot, sour, or sweet substances can stimulate the tooth nerve, leading to increased nerve pain. Sometimes pulpitis can also radiate to the temporal region, causing headaches or ear pain, and it can sometimes cause pain in both upper and lower teeth and all the teeth. Pulpitis occurs when the dental nerve has become pus-filled due to inflammation. If teeth are extracted rashly, it may lead to the spread of inflammation, causing bacteremia or sepsis. Tooth extraction is not advisable for pulpitis, but root canal treatment can be performed on the affected tooth to try to preserve it after the treatment.

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Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
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Do I go to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for pulpitis?

Pulpitis requires a visit to the department of stomatology or the department of dental cariology and endodontics. Some hospitals, with more detailed department divisions, differentiate between adults and children. Generally, individuals under 18 years old fall under the pediatric dentistry department. Those 18 and older need to visit the department of dental cariology and endodontics. Pulpitis is a painful condition caused by bacterial infection of the dental nerve, clinically manifested by pain when eating, night-time pain, localized pain, and worsening pain upon exposure to hot and cold stimuli. Treatment for pulpitis involves root canal therapy. This involves drilling to remove the infected dental tissue, then performing root canal medicament filling, followed by inflammation control and root canal filling.

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Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
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Can pulpitis be detected with an X-ray?

Pulpitis is divided into normal pulpitis and retrograde pulpitis. Normal pulpitis is a further development from bacterial infection of the hard tissues of the tooth to the pulp tissues, which means it can be captured on an X-ray. It mainly presents as a low-density image near the pulp. This stage of pulpitis is normal, developed through the normal pathway, and can be identified on an X-ray. If the pulpitis is due to the development of a periodontal pocket, bacteria infect the root apex area retrogradely through the periodontal pocket, causing pathological changes in the pulp tissue of the root apex area. Retrograde pulpitis cannot be detected on an X-ray.

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Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
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Late-stage consequences of pulpitis

Pulpitis is a severe pain manifestation caused by bacterial infection of the dental pulp tissue. If pulpitis is not treated in a timely manner, and it develops to a late stage, it might intensify the pain. In the early stages, the pain may only occur when eating or due to temperature sensitivity. In the later stages of pulpitis, spontaneous pain may occur, meaning that the teeth may hurt without any external stimuli, or symptoms of nighttime pain might appear, often causing pain at night or pain that can awaken someone from sleep. In its late stages, pulpitis can also develop into pus formation in the pulp tissue, also known as suppurative pulpitis, characterized by pain relief with cold and exacerbation with heat, meaning that cold water can relieve the pain, while hot water can worsen it.

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Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
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Can pulpitis cause headaches?

Pulpitis can cause headaches. Pulpitis is caused by the progression of dental caries, and it is the natural outcome of dental caries. Bacterial infections cause the dental nerve to become purulent and necrotic, or cause an acute inflammatory response in the dental nerve, which is pulpitis. The clinical symptoms of pulpitis include pain stimulated by hot and cold, which becomes more noticeable when consuming hot or cold food, or the pain may be non-localizable, which is also a typical symptom of pulpitis. It often happens that if one tooth suffers from pulpitis, the pain may occur in teeth on the same side of both the upper and lower jaws, and it is unclear which specific tooth is causing the pain, due to the non-localizing nature of pulpitis. Additionally, sometimes the pain may radiate towards the ear causing headaches, which is why pulpitis can lead to headaches.