Many people have problems with their teeth. Often they are not related to hygiene and are a complete surprise to humans. Do not forget that dentists recommend checking once every six months. One of the most frequent and serious ailments is pulpitis. The main thing in his treatment is to immediately locate a localization site and fix the problem.
From this article you will learn:
- Is it painful to treat pulpitis?
- How is the treatment going?
- What it is?
- What is pulp?
- What are the functions of pulp?
- Reviews about the treatment.
What is pulpitis?
Pulpitis is a neglected stage of caries, when corrosion and destruction penetrate enamel and dentin, which means they reach the inside of the tooth. It is dangerous not only with strong painful sensations, but also with complications, the risk of infection of neighboring teeth, inflammation and destruction of the gums.
Varieties of pulpitis
There are 2 types:
- Chronic form. Symptoms are not pronounced: painful, weak, aggravated by exposure to low or high temperature. Occasionally, manifestations may worsen. In such periods, the symptoms correspond to an acute form.
- Acute form. In this case, acute bouts of pain are characteristic. Gaps without it are gradually reduced due to increasing suppuration. At first, attacks only bother at night. The pain is independent of temperature stimuli. It is also sometimes difficult to determine which particular tooth suffers due to the spread of uncomfortable sensations along the nerve endings to the gums and adjacent teeth.
Causes of pulpitis
Since this disease is, in fact, neglected caries, the reasons for it are the same - lack of calcium inside and fluoride outside of the tooth. Because of this, minerals are washed out, tissues become thinner, bacteria multiply, which penetrate into the pulp.
Calcium is responsible for the strength of the tooth, and fluorine does not allow microorganisms to destroy it.
What is pulp and what are its functions?
This is the tissue-filler of the inside of the tooth. It is penetrated by blood and lymph vessels, as well as nerve endings. It is responsible for the immunity of the tooth and nourishes it from the inside. Due to nerve endings, the pulp reports painful signals about problems with the teeth, for example, deep cracks, chips and damage to the enamel and dentin, improper location and, in fact, pulp. Also, without it, the tooth turns gray.
Due to the number of nerve endings to the question: “Is it painful to treat pulpitis without anesthesia?”, The answer is yes, without an anesthetic it is almost impossible.
Pulpitis Treatment
There are several ways to cure this unpleasant ailment. The most popular among dentists is tooth removal. The doctor needs to etch the nerve, clean out the cavity and fill it with a filling.
There is also a biological treatment and a method of vital amputation. These options allow you to keep the pulp or part of it alive and efficient, which is better for the health of the tooth.
The traditional (surgical) method: is it painful to treat tooth pulpitis in this way?
Treatment of pulpitis with this method usually takes place in 2 or 3 visits to the doctor, depending on the number of root canals in the affected tooth. Moreover, their filling and treatment of the cavity itself should occur on different days, so that the material in the roots dried up and hardened. However, in Russia, many doctors neglect this rule.
The first visit takes place in several stages:
- Anesthesia. Is it painful to treat pulpitis with anesthesia? A correctly delivered injection of a proven remedy should completely eliminate unpleasant sensations even with cardinal measures such as tooth removal. Most often, local anesthesia is done: one or more injections are placed in the gums, however, if the patient wants, general anesthesia can also be used.
- Carious tissue removal and tooth isolation from saliva. The dentist drills the damaged areas of the tooth with a drill so that the destruction does not continue in the future under the seal and does not go deeper. Also, cutting off the upper part is necessary to access the root canals. So the drill also captures healthy areas of the tooth. After that, it is isolated from saliva so that infection with it does not get inside.
- Pulp removal. There are two ways to get rid of it: tear out or etch it with arsenic and then remove the residues. The first option is faster, but the pain can be felt even with the condition of anesthesia. Poisoning the pulp with arsenic is less painful, in some cases aching sensations appear, but in this case one more visit is added, since until the pulp is worn out, nothing can be done with the tooth.
- Root canal measurement and processing. It is extremely necessary to find out the exact length of each root, as improper filling leads to sad consequences: infection, trauma of the mandibular nerve, pain. After measurement, the channels are cleaned with special metal knitting needles to be sealed afterwards, and periodically washed with an antiseptic to avoid infection and wash the smallest particles of damaged tissue.
- Temporary filling and root canal protection. They are filled with a special composition with an antiseptic, and a temporary filling is applied to the tooth.
Second visit:
- Removing a temporary filling, cleaning the canals with an antiseptic and installing gutta-percha pins. This procedure is recommended to be carried out without anesthesia, since by unpleasant sensations you can quickly adjust the length of the pin and the installation depth. Properly selected materials should not cause any discomfort. Is it painful to treat pulpitis at this stage? Not always, but the possible pain is quite tolerable.
- X-ray This stage is also often neglected by Russian dentists. This is necessary in order to avoid under-filling the tooth. However, sometimes doctors do not redo the work, even if they see that there is a problem. It is recommended to find out in advance how correctly sealed X-ray channels look in order to monitor a doctor.
- The patient is again given a temporary filling. Materials in the root canals are given time to harden. After undergoing anesthesia, the patient may feel pain. In this case, it is recommended to take non-steroidal analgesics.
Third visit:
Finally, when the material in the root canals is seized, in the absence of complaints from the patient, the empty cavity is filled with a permanent filling, the crown is restored and the surface of the tooth is ground.
Pulpitis treatment with full preservation of the nerve
Biological or conservative method. The most sparing option is available only for people younger than 25-27 years old and at the initial stage of the disease. This is due to the ability of the pulp to regenerate, which worsens with age and with the course of the disease. Treatment takes place in 2 stages.
First visit:
- After anesthesia, removal of the affected enamel and dentitis, as well as after the necessary tooth treatment, a medical pad is applied to the damaged area of the pulp, then an insulating compress and a temporary filling.
Second visit:
- A repeat visit is assigned individually a few days after the application of the medical pad. If there are no complaints, a temporary seal is removed and put permanent.
The tooth needs to be checked from time to time to prevent complications.
Vital amputation
This method involves the partial preservation of pulp in the root canals and on the bottom of the cavity inside the multi-root tooth. Usually held in 2 visits.
First:
- Anesthesia.
- Drilling affected tissue sites and creating access to the tooth cavity.
- Top pulp removal and treatment.
- Overlay the medical pad on the remainder.
- Insulation with a special compress and installation of a temporary seal.
Second:
- If the patient has no complaints, and he was not bothered by pain, then a temporary filling is replaced with a permanent one.
Anesthesia in dentistry, or is it painful to treat pulpitis with an injection?
Most often, local anesthesia in the form of an injection is used. It is less harmful to the body, the patient remains conscious, which facilitates the control of treatment. The average cost of an injection of local anesthesia is 250-300 rubles. Some clinics offer to anesthetize the injection site with ointment or spray for an additional fee of 50-150 rubles. Sometimes the injection is combined with anti-anxiety or sedative drugs.
Local anesthesia is now quite effective and provides a painless treatment process, however, there may be unpleasant aching sensations when its effect stops.
Sometimes community anesthesia is used. It is administered intravenously or by inhalation.
Is it painful to treat pulpitis without anesthesia? Patient reviews will help to figure this out completely.
Many people say that this is a rather painful procedure. The pain is so strong that it is impossible to control your movements. The patient may suddenly close his mouth or push the doctor away with his hands. Everyone who happened to undergo this procedure regrets that they refused pain relief.
Regarding the question of whether it is painful to treat pulpitis with anesthesia, the patient’s reviews are unanimous. People note that pain is minimized. It is only necessary to endure the pain that occurs during the injection of an anesthetic.
Answers to frequently asked questions
- Is it painful to treat pulpitis?
According to reviews, in most cases not. Specialists try to minimize the risk of pain during the procedure. It may hurt to surgically remove the nerve, and the affected tooth may ache after the procedure. Also, difficulties can be with anesthesia of the lower molars. Due to the peculiarities of location, several injections may be required and it is not always possible to completely deprive the place of sensitivity.
- Is it necessary to remove the pulp?
Depends on the age and stage of the lesion. In most cases, unfortunately, this is inevitable. However, if the patient's age is less than 25 years and / or pulpitis is only at the initial stage, you can cure him with a special pad. It is important to consider that in some cases this gives only a temporary effect, and after some time the nerve still has to be removed.
- Is it painful to treat pulpitis after arsenic?
As you know, the nerve is either removed surgically or poisoned. After getting rid of the pulp, the treatment becomes much less painful, however, local anesthesia is still used, since cleaning the root canals can bring discomfort due to closely located nerves in the gums and jaw.
- Is it painful to treat pulpitis for children now?
The procedure looks about the same as in adults. They try not to remove the nerve itself, since in childhood the pulp is well restored. Specialists try to anesthetize as much as possible and the injection site as well. In some cases, when the pulpitis is in an advanced stage, and the tooth should begin to stagger soon, it is more advisable to simply tear it out.