A dead tooth that is not treated for a long time will lead to looseness and tooth loss, causing many serious complications. Let’s find out what a dead tooth is in the article below with BIK International Dental Clinic!
1. What is a dead tooth?
Image of dead pulp
A normal healthy tooth will be made up of 3 layers: enamel, dentin and pulp. In which, pulp is the innermost layer covered and protected by enamel and dentin.
Therefore, if enamel or dentin is damaged, it will lead to the risk of pulp being affected, infected, necrotic and more seriously, pulp death. Pulp is considered a source of life, providing nutrients to nourish tooth tissue, so once the tooth has dead pulp or the pulp is removed, it will completely lose the feeling when eating and drinking, and will no longer be as healthy as before.
2. Signs of dead pulp
Image of dead pulp
Depending on the stage and level of damage, dead pulp can be recognized through the following signs:
2.1. Reversible pulpitis
This is the stage of pulpitis at a level that can be recovered and customers will often feel the pain and will be more uncomfortable at night. In addition, when eating hot or cold food, the pain will be more throbbing and last longer.
2.2. Chronic pulpitis
At this time, the pain and pain occur frequently and last longer than before. The tooth becomes very sensitive and even movement can cause pain.
2.3. Acute pulpitis
Sudden toothaches will begin to appear at this stage, they can last for several hours and become more frequent. In case the gums are damaged, pus will accumulate, causing the tissues to be pushed up and causing very severe pain.
2.4. Pulp necrosis stage
The final stage when the tooth has a dead pulp is when the tooth no longer feels anything, the pain and aching seem to be no longer felt. The tooth will gradually become weaker due to lack of nutrition, gradually becoming loose and falling out.
3. Causes of pulp death
Image of dead pulp
Dead pulp can be caused by a number of reasons:
3.1. Tooth decay
Tooth decay is the most common cause of tooth pulp death and cannot be restored. Initially, the cavity only appears on the enamel surface and after destroying this enamel layer, bacteria will continue to attack deep into the dentin as well as the pulp inside. Therefore, if tooth decay is controlled in the early stages, the pulp will not be affected, preventing pulp death.
3.2. Broken, cracked, chipped teeth
In case of an unfortunate accident or sudden impact that causes a chipped tooth, it will deeply affect the tooth pulp and if not treated promptly, it will lead to the condition of dead tooth pulp.
3.3. Gingivitis
Teeth that are not cleaned properly can easily lead to gingivitis, which if left untreated for a long time will cause periodontitis. This condition causes the gums to bleed and may cause blindness, from which bacteria will have the opportunity to penetrate the tooth and root canal. The tooth pulp can be infected from mild to severe and lead to the death of the pulp.
3. Is dead tooth pulp dangerous?
Image of a tooth with dead pulp and discoloration
The condition of dead pulp teeth not only makes the chewing process difficult, reduces the quality of life but also has many effects on overall health. When the pulp is dead, the infectious bacteria will gradually spread to the tissues around the tooth, causing many complications such as tooth abscess, tooth root pus, etc. In addition, other problems may arise such as periodontitis, osteomyelitis, tooth loss, etc.
If the condition of dead pulp teeth is not treated early, the teeth will gradually weaken, no longer be able to adhere to the jaw, leading to tooth loss. At this time, Implant restoration is a necessary method to restore chewing ability as well as overall aesthetics. In the case of customers who have lost teeth for a long time without performing any restoration method, the jawbone will atrophy, the face will age prematurely, the bite will be misaligned, etc.
4. How long can dead pulp teeth last?
The dental pulp is considered the “heart” of the tooth, located deep below the dentin and enamel, so once the dental pulp dies, it means that the tooth structure has been completely damaged. The lifespan of the tooth will only last about 1 year or maybe shorter and then the condition of keratinization of the tooth tissue will begin to appear.
When the dental pulp dies, it means that the nerve inside it is no longer active, so customers will lose the feeling when chewing, and will no longer feel the temperature of food. In particular, the tooth will no longer react to any external stimuli.
5. Treatment of dead pulp teeth
With the development of modern dental technology, customers do not need to extract teeth as before to treat dead pulp teeth, but the doctor will remove damaged pulp tissue, shape and fill according to the following process:
5.1. General examination
To determine the overall oral health status, the doctor will first conduct a general examination with the naked eye. After that, the customer will have an X-ray to determine the extent of damage to the pulp and then give a reasonable treatment plan.
5.2. Anesthesia
Before injecting local anesthesia to make the patient more comfortable during the root canal treatment, the doctor will clean the oral cavity, remove bacteria and agents that can cause tooth infection to ensure no infection.
5.3. Root canal treatment
The dentist will drill a small hole in the tooth to reach the root canal. The dead pulp will be completely cleaned to help stop the feeling of discomfort and pain.
After that, the doctor will clean the root canal and take another X-ray to determine if there is any remaining pulp. This is one of the extremely important testing steps in the treatment process for dead teeth, because if the pulp is not completely cleaned, bacteria will continue to attack and cause other serious consequences.
5.4. Root canal filling
Finally, the space of the dead pulp will be filled with specialized materials. Next, the doctor will proceed to fill the tooth or crown it with porcelain to restore aesthetics. The entire process must be carried out in a sterile environment that meets the strict standards of the Ministry of Health to ensure customer safety.
6. BIK Dental Clinic – A reputable address for treating dead teeth
BIK International Dental Clinic is proud to be one of the most reputable dental addresses on the market specializing in treating dead teeth thanks to meeting all of the following criteria:
6.1. Team of good doctors
When choosing to treat dead teeth at BIK International Dental Clinic, customers will be directly examined and treated by a team of good doctors with many years of experience in the field of maxillofacial surgery. With meticulous and precise operations, the doctors ensure that the feeling of pain and aching will end because the dead tooth pulp has been completely removed.
6.2. Equipped with modern technology
All branches of BIK International Dental Clinic are invested in the most modern and advanced machinery and technology today. This helps the diagnosis and treatment process become more accurate and easier. This helps to save maximum time for customers when coming to the dental clinic but still get the best treatment results.
6.3. International standard dead tooth treatment process
The dead tooth treatment process at BIK International Dental Clinic is guaranteed to be performed in the correct order of steps according to international standards to ensure the safety of customers. In addition, the Dental Clinic also fully meets the standards of the Ministry of Health on disinfection and sterilization, avoiding cross-infection between patients.
So dead teeth can be caused by many reasons and are recognized by signs at different stages. The best way to treat dead teeth is to go to the dentist to completely remove the pulp from the pulp chamber, this will end the prolonged pain. To get the best treatment results, customers should go to a reputable dental facility with a team of highly skilled doctors with many years of experience in the field of dentistry.
