Acute Apical Periodontitis

Dental diagnosis

How does the dentist diagnose Acute Apical Periodontitis?

The following signs and symptoms are evaluated to determine an Acute Apical Periodontitis diagnosis:

Sign or Symptom	Yes	No	Maybe
Sudden pain in an area of a long-term infection or recent injury	Yes
Tooth hurts when biting, chewing, or tapping on it	Yes
Gums appear healthy	Yes
The tooth is cracked		No
Foreign object in the gums		No
Swelling			Maybe
Fever			Maybe
Severe spontaneous pain			Maybe
An X-ray image of the tooth shows changes			Maybe
The tooth moves slightly when pressed			Maybe
Drainage around the tooth¹			Maybe
The lymph nodes beneath the jawline and in the neck are tender and enlarged, particularly on the affected side.²			Maybe

(1) If drainage is present, the term “suppurative” is added to the diagnosis: Chronic apical suppurative periodontitis. Drainage from infections can produce a bad taste and bad breath (halitosis).

(2) Lymph nodes are where white blood cells that fight infection mature.

Author: Thomas J. Greany, D.D.S. / Editor: Ken Lambrecht