How many teeth live without a nerve? How to care for him? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article.
Many of us have experienced the procedure of depulpation (elimination of the dental nerve). Very often resort to such therapy with inflammation of the pulp and intolerable toothache. If you do not remove the nerve in such a situation, then you can be left without a tooth. But, unfortunately, after the operation, its safety is still in question. How much a dead tooth lives without a nerve, we will find out below.
A bit about pulpitis
Many people ask: “How long does a tooth live without a nerve?” It all depends on the quality of the performed depulpation and subsequent healing. Therefore, no dentist can unequivocally answer the question of how long a tooth lives without a nerve. Meanwhile, if you know what exactly affects the life of dead teeth, you can, following certain rules, extend it.
It is known that the dental nerve (pulp) is a bundle of nerve endings and blood vessels. Thanks to this tiny plexus, the tooth reacts to external stimuli. If its shell is damaged, then a person has a toothache. The patient with the onset of inflammation is threatened with pulp removal. But this measure is the most extreme. They resort to it only when other methods cannot be used to save the tooth.
Indications for depulpation are such pathologies:
- Incorrect healing of caries, pulpitis.
- Increased tooth sensitivity after prosthetics.
- Tooth cyst.
- Nerve damage due to the intake of toxic substances or powerful antiseptics.
- Chipping, due to which the nerve became open.
- Prosthetics of a tooth growing at the wrong angle or severely damaged by caries.
Symptoms that indicate problems with the pulp are sharp pain in the ear, temple, neck, discomfort when eating hot, sweet or cold food.
Features of the tooth after depulpation
So how long does a tooth live without a nerve? After the depulpation, minerals and blood cease to enter the dental tissues, as a result of which the walls become brittle and then completely or partially collapse.
That is why, after eliminating the nerve and cleaning the canals, urgent tooth reconstruction is required. This can be done in different ways. The success of treating a tooth without a nerve depends on the skill of the doctor.
Restoration
In general, a dented tooth with the skillful work of a dentist can last up to ten years. Very often they fill it. However, whatever the good filling, after the elimination of the nerve, the tooth becomes weak, and this can lead to a split. But this problem can also be solved.
It is, of course, difficult to treat a tooth without a nerve. If the crack strongly affected the root, the doctor can perform the restoration using an implant or a crown made of cermet. It does not allow air, infection and moisture to enter, fits snugly against a dead tooth, restores the color of the tooth surface and its natural shape. Many people know that a tooth without a nerve under the crown serves for a long time.
Often, a tooth after repairing a nerve is restored using a ceramic tab. This technology is used when at least 30% is left of the damaged molar. The tab lasts longer than a filling, therefore it significantly extends the life of a dead chewing organ.
It should be noted that with the correct treatment, it is quite possible to maintain the integrity of the depulped tooth. Therapy is best entrusted to an experienced craftsman who will perform the reconstruction using the tab or crown, using a microscope in the process.
Reflective fillings
Everyone wants to know how long a tooth lives without a nerve. A well-treated tooth can also be restored with a reflective seal, but then its estimated service life will be from 1 year to 10 years. His “life” is also affected by the quality of dental canal filling. If, after treatment, the patient is disturbed by a granuloma, flux, cyst, or fistula on the gum, then it means the therapy was carried out incorrectly.
Unfortunately, if the cannulas were poorly treated in the depulped tooth, it must be removed due to its further destruction.
As you can see, the life of non-living teeth depends on the skills of the dentist and the quality of the procedures performed. Therefore, trust this matter only to trusted professionals. And of course, we must not forget about the prevention of pulpitis, which involves daily cleaning of the oral cavity and dentitions, as well as an annual professional examination by the dentist.
Dead tooth
Why is a tooth with a removed nerve called dead? What is the meaning of nerve fibers, which are an integral segment of the tooth structure? The chewing organ is a living tissue and is more resistant to the influence of an external aggressive environment only when its nerve acts. That is why a pulp tooth is commonly called dead.
The opinion that he will never be ill again is among the myths. And sooner or later, this myth is dispersed for everyone, and not always after a short time after depulpation. Sometimes a couple of months or even years can pass from the moment of surgery, when suddenly a tooth without a nerve or an adjacent zone will make itself unbearable.
What are the causes of pain?
So, you already know how much a tooth lives without a nerve under a crown. If he begins to get sick, this is a sure sign of inflammation. Its source is harmful bacteria that enter a particular area of the tissue. They literally begin to colonize, spreading and parasitizing. In this case, there may be several options.
Firstly, if a dead tooth hurts, this means that the bacteria were introduced through the root canal into the jaw tissue due to developed caries. Under the influence of microorganisms, the jawbone loses its tone, and decay products favor inflammation. The result is pain.
Secondly, a depulped tooth makes itself felt if it was handled by an inexperienced doctor. Removing a nerve is a complicated procedure, and any “imperfection” or mistake here is fraught with future complications. So, if the tooth channel after the pulp elimination was not completely filled with filling raw materials (or the filling was not tight enough), there remains a space in it, which is a favorable environment for the development of microorganisms. The result is pain and inflammation.
Finally, even if the chewing organ is sealed correctly, but the patient has gum pathologies (periodontitis and gingivitis), and basic hygienic canons are not respected, the infection penetrates the gums and eventually the tooth begins to hurt.
If you have a sore tooth that has begun to hurt, immediately contact a clinic for diagnosis. An experienced doctor will draw up a treatment plan for you.
Extended Life
After the depulpation and restoration of the tooth, dentists recommend performing the following actions:
- Refuse to eat very solid foods. It is best to crumble before meals (seeds, nuts, etc.).
- Do not drink too many drinks that are high in acid (soda, citrus juice).
- When eating, avoid temperature extremes. For example, it is forbidden to enjoy ice cream after hot coffee, and vice versa.
- Use the brush only with soft bristles, do not use whitening pastes.
- Eat foods rich in potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and iron.
All of the above tips will extend the "life" of an inanimate tooth for many years. Otherwise, you may lose it already a year after the removal of the nerve.
What causes darkening?
What is a darkened tooth without a nerve? A miserable color transformation can provoke the accumulation of dyes in enamel or a smoker's plaque. But in other cases, it can cause internal problems. The basic causes of blackening are:
- pulp dying;
- staining after applying silver or tin;
- consequences of injury;
- caries (secondary including)
- transillumination of metal pins;
- internal problems of the body;
- wrong treatment.
One of the most common factors that cause a tooth to darken is tooth decay. It can occur under the filling, inside the tooth and for a long time remain invisible.
In many patients, after some time after treatment, the teeth still turn black under the filling. The reason for this may be tin and silver materials. They always cause darkening, but this is just a cosmetic anomaly.
But if the tooth darkens after removing the pulp and filling, or it is affected by caries, regardless of the treatment provided earlier, an urgent need to go to see a doctor. The tooth can also become dark due to the use of tea, coffee, drinks with dyes, smoking.
And tooth color is influenced by internal problems in the body. Darkening is caused by genetic ailments, metabolic and acid-base balance disorders, gastrointestinal tract diseases, kidney, blood, candidiasis and chronic staphylococcal infection.
If a person has any of these diseases, first you need to deal with its treatment and only then make your teeth snow-white. High levels of fluorine and iron in water can also affect browning. Do not forget that oral hygiene contributes to a more natural color.
If the tooth darkens and hurts
Why does a dead tooth sometimes darken and start to hurt? It has no soft tissues, nerves and blood vessels. In fact, it is a dead chewing organ, which is only mechanically connected with a living organism.
His enamel is still strong enough, the gum holds tightly. The tooth will not chip and crumble for a long time in the event of a successful depilation. It does not respond to various stimuli due to the absence of a nerve.
But the tooth still performs almost all of its main functions. Micronutrients do not come to it. But dental tissues do not need uninterrupted access to nutrients. But if they are not at all, over time, the tooth loses its natural structure and begins to crumble. If caries has appeared on it, it can increase to an impressive size. After all, a person does not feel pain. Such a tooth needs special care.
If a tooth darkens under a filling
If the darkening caused poor-quality endodontic therapy or the death of the pulp, the doctor provides adequate treatment, eliminates the source of blackening, and then determines the method of whitening.
If a tooth is not treated, it can become a source of infection for other healthy teeth. You can also lose it altogether. If the tooth darkens and hurts due to caries, the doctor removes the black tissue and selects the restoration material of the desired shade. So he can leave him alive, and the enamel with dentin will be much stronger than a non-living tooth without access to nutrients. But after eliminating the nerve, a completely different approach is required for treatment. Watch your teeth and be healthy!