Many dental problems go unnoticed for a very long time, you may not know until they start to cause pain and discomfort. It’s always advisable to go for regular dental check ups and cleaning in order to keep your teeth healthy and strong for a lifetime. An untreated small dental injury or problem could develop into a severe life-threatening situation that may be costly to repair. However, dead tooth is one of the most common dental problems that dentists see very often.
A dead tooth can occur due to dental trauma or as a result of untreated tooth decay. In dentistry, a tooth is considered dead if the nerves and the blood vessels within its pulp cavity are dead. There are number of factors that can cause your tooth nerves and blood vessels to die. In most cases, people experience dead tooth due to lack of blood supply to the affected tooth.
Most people are unaware that a tooth can actually die if it does not received enough necessary nutrients and minerals. Well, am not actually here to talk about the causes of dead tooth. In my previous article, I revealed more on – health risks and causes of dead tooth.
How to fix a dead tooth
The way to fix a dead tooth is quite different from the type of procedures required for repairing broken or chipped teeth. A dead tooth is usually black in color, placing bleaches on the outside of the tooth will not do anything to this type of stain. Also, a dead tooth is likely to get infected as the damages progresses. Infection can cause swelling, bad odor or bad taste in the mouth because of pus seeping through or around the area. (1)
To fix decay in a dead tooth, the dentist will need to clean out the infected pulp, removing the dead tooth nerves and other remnants within the pulp cavity. Now let’s look at some of the available dental procedures that can be used to restore your dead tooth and alleviate pain.
Ways To Fix A Dead Tooth
1.Root Canal Treatment: during root canal, the dentist cleans out the infected pulp, clearing out the decayed or dead nerves and blood vessels. The main aim of this treatment is to repair or save the infected tooth instead of removing it. After the removal of the infected pulp, medications or fillings are sometimes used to cover the hole created by the removed pulp. If the tooth is not strong enough, the dentist might need to install a dental crown on the tooth.
2. Crowns: Crowns are widely used in cosmetic dentistry to enhance smile by covering discoloured or damaged teeth. Dental crowns are specially designed to disguise, protect and maintain damaged teeth, including holding together cracked teeth. (2) It’s actually possible that you can strengthen as well as improve the appearance of your dead tooth with a crown. Since your tooth is dead the dentist may need to carry out root canal treatment before fitting the crown. However, dental crowns are quite expensive, see the – Types, Procedures and The cost of dental crowns.
3. Tooth extraction: extraction is usually recommended if the dead tooth is severely damaged or infected that it can’t be restored. Although, tooth extraction also comes with its own complications and dangers. Having a tooth pulled can leave a gap that allows your other teeth to shift, bone loss occurs, and facial bone structure may begin to collapse. However, using a bridge or a dental implant to replace the missing tooth is a good option. You can check here to see – the cost of tooth extraction, the risks and the procedures.
4. Dental implant: having an implant is a great way to restore your missing tooth. The implants are offered in natural tooth colours, so your dental treatment will be hardly noticeable. If you choose to go for dental implants, the dead tooth will be removed completely and replaced with an artificial tooth.
Bottom Line
A dead tooth can be really painful, if you don’t act fast it can get infected and cause serious preventable health problems. The procedures that I listed on this article are some of the recommended ways to fix a dead tooth. Moreover, there is a huge difference between a stained tooth and a dead tooth. If you are not so sure whether you tooth is dead or not, you can read this article to see – the symptoms and signs of a dead tooth.
Well, the best thing to do if you suspect dental caries in your teeth is to see a dentist at a dental studio. Root canal, also known as endodontic treatment, is a cost-effective way to treat teeth with damaged pulp. The treatment is usually less expensive than tooth extraction and placement of implants. However, the best course of action depends on the severity of the dental caries. In the most severe cases, tooth extraction is always necessary to alleviate pain.
Richard Smith is a Registered Nutritionist and also a Health Speaker. Richard Smith graduated from The City University of New York. You can learn more about him by Visiting His LinkedIn Page or Follow him on Twitter.
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