A tooth that hurts is a symptom. Whether the cause is a cracked cusp, a dying nerve, a sinus issue, or grinding at night changes the treatment completely. Diagnostics is the work of telling those apart.
General dentistry
Pain in the mouth is a poor witness. It refers from one tooth to another, from upper jaw to lower, and sometimes from somewhere that is not a tooth at all. So we test rather than guess. That means cold testing to see how a nerve responds, bite testing to find a crack, percussion to check for inflammation at the root tip, and gum measurements to rule out a periodontal source.
We also look at the whole picture. Wear patterns tell us about grinding. Recession tells us about brushing pressure or bite forces. A tooth that has been filled three times tells us something different from one that has never been touched.
Dr. Harding's approach is evidence-based, which in practice means treatment follows a finding, not a hunch. If a test is inconclusive, we say so and monitor rather than drilling into a tooth on a guess.
Step by step
Where it hurts, what sets it off, how long it lasts, and whether it wakes you up. Each of those points somewhere different.
Looking for cracks, wear, failed restorations, and soft tissue changes across the whole mouth.
Cold, bite, and tapping tests on the suspect tooth and its neighbors, because the sore one is not always the source.
A periapical image of the tooth in question to check the root and surrounding bone.
What is causing it, what your choices are, and what each one costs in time, money, and tooth structure.
Worth knowing
Often a cracked tooth. Catching a crack before it splits the tooth can be the difference between a crown and an extraction.
Sensitivity that fades in seconds is usually fine. Pain that lingers for thirty seconds or more suggests the nerve is in trouble.
Any ulcer or patch in the mouth lasting more than two weeks should be looked at. That is what oral cancer screening is for.
Common questions
Usually yes. Occasionally a symptom is early or ambiguous, and the honest answer is to monitor it for a few weeks rather than treat something we are not sure about.
Come in anyway. Intermittent pain is a real finding, and the pattern of when it appears helps us narrow the cause.
Yes, at every exam. It takes a minute and it is one of the most valuable minutes of the visit.
New patients welcome
We want to help you keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime. Contact us today and we will find a convenient time.