Things to Know About Dead Tooth: Signs and Treatment

By Elite Dental Group

Our teeth develop from a combination of soft and hard tissues. If they are working correctly in our body, we may assume they are alive, but what if one of them is not. There might be signs of a dead tooth. Nerves which are located in the inner layer of a tooth’s pulp get damaged by different causes, such as injury or decay, which limit blood circulation to the tooth. This can result in infection and the nerve may stop working permanently. Our teeth are so vital to our overall health that even subsequent pain or a tiny amount of tooth decay can create major distress, especially in such cases where a person doesn’t know where it is coming from.

A tooth can also die from poor dental hygiene. If cavities are left untreated, they can slowly destroy the teeth’s condition. Cavities form on the enamel that is the outer protective layer of the teeth. If left untreated, they can slowly eat the enamel and threaten the pulp. It can cause the pulp to become infected which cuts off blood to the pulp and causes it to die. There are possible chances of having intense pain once the decay meets the pulp. 

Signs Of A Dead Tooth

A dead tooth is not easy to identify in the early stages. The intensity of pain generally raises when there is an infection. If the infection grows more and reaches to abscess, a person might have different types of symptoms like swelling, foul odor, foul taste or a pimple on their gums. One may notice black, yellow or grey discoloration. It usually happens from dying red blood cells that are common to bruising. The discoloration generally increases when the treatment does not take place.

Another possible sign of a dead tooth can be pain. It may happen according to the condition, some will not feel any pain, while others may have mild or intense pain. It is mainly due to the dying nerve and can happen due to infection.

A healthy tooth generally is the color white. However, the shade can vary depending upon the oral hygiene and diet of a person. Like if someone consumes foods which are staining, for example, blueberries, coffee, red wine, or even if they smoke, they might not get the advantage of having a natural white-teeth smile as their color may change to light yellow or off-white.

Dead Tooth Smell

A dead tooth may produce a bad smell because it can cause an abscess which drains into the mouth. Therefore, we all need to take care of our oral hygiene to avoid different types of dental problems.

Dead Tooth Pain Relief

If a bacterial infection takes place in their teeth, they can leak out from the tooth’s root and start to attack the jawbone. It will result in causing the teeth to fall out anyway. That’s why it is important that a person must not wait for the tooth to remove it, the process is painful and may cause further damage. The risk of losing additional teeth will increase if dental treatment is not acted on in time or by doing such things. If you are experiencing a lot of pain, home remedies can be implemented. But it is better to go see the dentist as soon as possible.

Try to avoid hot beverages as they can increase inflammation and play a role in making the pain worse. There is a need to avoid hard foods as the force of biting down can aggravate the damaged nerves. One may take the support of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications.

Basically, two types of treatment are applied in the case of a dead tooth which can be a tooth extraction and root canal treatment. We will talk about the treatment of tooth extraction first.

Tooth Extraction

We all love to have a complete set of our teeth as nobody would want to have them removed. But it may happen if the treatment is not taken on time. One of the cheapest, most painless and simplest procedures implemented to treat a dead tooth is a tooth extraction. However, it may be a bit costly if the tooth is replaced with a dental prosthetic. One should expect to receive either general or local anesthesia, depending upon the recommendation or preference of the surgeon.

In most cases of this treatment, the teeth get gripped tightly and then pulled from the gums. By performing this, the teeth will be broken up into pieces before being removed. After the surgery, the dentist will surely recommend you take proper rest as the extraction site may bleed. If the pain looks to be a bit intense, try to use an ice pack which will be helpful in minimizing the pain. The patient also needs to avoid drinking from a straw and stick to soft foods for a few days after the procedure.

Dead Tooth Root Canal

The second most popular option available after a tooth extraction is a root canal treatment. With this treatment, a person can keep their tooth intact. The dentist will use small instruments in order to clear out the pulp during the procedure. Then they will clean out the infection. Once the cleaning takes place, the dentist will fill and seal the roots. A permanent filling in the small opening will also be placed. The necessity of having a crown is needed in many cases following a root canal. The crown is said to be a covering that is particularly molded to the person’s teeth. It is considered to be a preferential option especially when the tooth had a large filling or the enamel was damaged.

The tooth that has been given a root canal can become brittle. That is why crowns are recommended for posterior teeth due to chewing and grinding. The dentist will remove the part of the patient’s existing tooth and will fit the crown over it at a permanent basis. A crown can be made to suit the color of your surrounding teeth in order to look natural.