{"id":1159,"date":"2020-08-11T04:37:59","date_gmt":"2020-08-11T11:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theelitedental.com\/old\/?p=1159"},"modified":"2020-08-11T04:37:59","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T11:37:59","slug":"identifying-and-treating-a-dead-tooth-elite-dental-care-tracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theelitedental.com\/old\/identifying-and-treating-a-dead-tooth-elite-dental-care-tracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Identifying and Treating a Dead Tooth – Elite Dental Care Tracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you dressed up to go for a party? Yet there is no smile on your face due to toothache or a dead tooth? Then you are never ready to go for a party because you don’t look graceful and complete without wearing the best accessory – “Smile”.
\nIt is not easy to smile wide with a tooth pain, therefore, if you experience unbearable pain in your tooth do not ignore or neglect it, as it can be a symptom of a dental issue.
\nThe pain might be due to tooth decay, dead tooth, or a dying tooth.
\nConsult your dentist immediately for treatment, to maintain a dashing smile on your face and be an anytime partygoer.
\nWhy does a tooth die?<\/strong>
\nIf a tooth decay or leftover food debris that form as cavities in the tooth are uncleaned or ignored, eventually they damage the whole tooth and results in a dead tooth.
\nBefore we take a sneak peek on the dead tooth, let us throw a glance on the structure of the teeth.
\nTeeth have three layers:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Enamel<\/strong>: a protective top layer of the teeth<\/li>\n
  2. Dentin<\/strong>: second layer below the enamel<\/li>\n
  3. Pulp<\/strong>: It is the soft tissue of the teeth that has nerve tissues and blood vessels which keeps the tooth alive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Maintain oral hygiene to keep these three layers healthy, as they fight the bacteria, cavities, etc. and protect the teeth from being affected and damaged.
    \nWhat is a dead tooth<\/strong>?
    \nDead tooth:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
    \nWhen the nerve tissues or the blood vessels in the pulp of the teeth get damaged, \u00a0there will be no blood flow into the tooth. Hence, it is called a non-vital or a dead tooth.
    \nHow to identify the dead tooth?<\/strong>
    \nIf a tooth is darker or yellow-coloured when compared to the neighbouring tooth, it is a dead tooth.
    \nA tooth that has large holes, fractures, over fillings for a long time, is considered as a dead tooth by the dentists.
    \nDentists say a tooth does not die at once, the damage happens gradually in stages due to various reasons.
    \nA dying tooth can be recovered if it is treated in the initial stages. However, a dead tooth can hardly be treated.
    \nAre you wondering about the reasons that cause a dead tooth?<\/strong>
    \nHere are a few:
    \nThe tooth pulp is spread all over from the crown of the tooth to the tip of its\u2019 roots. If the pulp is injured, it can heal itself. However, if it loses its healing nature, then it implies that the tooth is dead.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Cracked tooth:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Bacteria accumulates in the cracks, accesses your teeth and its internal layers including pulp, and this affects the nerve tissues and blood vessels of the teeth that causes a dead tooth.<\/li>\n
    2. Cavities<\/strong>: Deep cavities that are left untreated spread all over the teeth, ultimately reaching the pulp and damage the nerve tissues and blood vessels resulting in a dead tooth.<\/li>\n
    3. Tooth Infections:<\/strong>If the pulp gets infected and dies, it cannot recover by itself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The infected pulp needs immediate medical assistance, else the infection spreads all over, forms pus pockets within the jawbone, and causes dead teeth.
      \nTo prevent the damage, monitor your teeth and maintain oral hygiene to keep your teeth healthy and prevent oral complications.
      \nSchedule dental appointments for regular professional medical help, and also treat the broken or the chipped teeth immediately.
      \nTo suit yourself with immediate medical assistance, identification of the dead teeth is also essential.
      \nIt is not a cup of tea to identify the dead tooth without professional medical help as all the dental issues show similar symptoms putting us in a dilemma on how to differentiate the dead tooth symptoms.
      \nHere are a few symptoms that helps you to identify the dead tooth:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Discoloration of the tooth: Consuming coloured foods causes discoloration of all the teeth. However, in the case of a dead tooth only that particular tooth gets discoloured and identified as dead tooth.<\/li>\n
      2. Injury or decay: Damage of the inner layer of the tooth due to an injury or decay can be one of the possible symptoms of dead teeth.<\/li>\n
      3. The bad taste of your mouth: Your mouth becomes numb and tastes bad. You cannot experience any taste despite eating your favourite delicious foods.<\/li>\n
      4. Pain: A dying nerve or infection causes unbearable chronic pain, which is a result of pus, cavities, and bacteria accumulated in the pulp of the teeth.<\/li>\n
      5. Bad breath: A dead tooth results in bad breath as it forms abscess and drains it into the mouth resulting in bad breath which decreases the confidence and comfort of interaction with other people.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Consult your dentist immediately if you observe any of these symptoms and get the treatment accordingly.
        \nCan the dentists bring it back to life? What would be the treatments for the dead tooth?
        \nNo, it is not possible to completely bring back the dead tooth, but studies say that a dead tooth can still function if the dentists insert a crown to support its functional activity. However, it is very fragile and requires regular medical assistance.
        \nA dying tooth can be treated through two procedures.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Root canal:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          If your tooth is in the dying stage, dentists remove the damaged nerve and replace it with a filling to avoid the accumulation of bacteria or cavities in the empty space.
          \nA root canal does not treat all the dying tooth it depends on the intensity of the damage.
          \nDr.Singh from Elite Dental Care, Tracy states the root canal has an 80 to 95% success rate if the patient comes for the treatment before the tooth is completely dead.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Tooth Extraction:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Dentists suggest tooth extraction if the tooth is unretainable and completely dead.
            \nDamaged tooth infects the neighbouring teeth and eventually deteriorates the jaw bone’s health, and this affects the whole dentition.
            \nAfter removing the tooth your dentist will replace it with an implant and artificial teeth.
            \nHence, it retains your teeth and the beautiful smile on your face.
            \nWe know a saying, \u201cPrevention is better than cure\u201d, which means if you follow certain discipline in your routine you can prevent the oral and overall illness, and make your life healthy and happy.
            \nHere are a few tips to prevent dead tooth to avoid the stress of tooth pain and complicated dental treatments from your life.
            \nHow to prevent your teeth from dying?<\/strong><\/p>\n