Understanding Dental Pain and Bacterial Infections

Posted on: 24 July 2015

Internal tooth resorption is a rare dental condition where the body tries to resorb mineralized tissues such as the dentin and pulpal walls. The resorption pulls those tissues into the root canal that runs through the center of your tooth. Important pulp material carrying blood cells, nerves, and tissue can be displaced or damaged by this caving in.

Saving the pulp is vital to keep your tooth alive, which is a priority for dentists. There are a few different potential treatments for tooth resorption depending on the severity of current damage.

Root Canal

To keep your body from attacking the tissues within your tooth, your dentist will need to remove those tissues. A root canal procedure will be recommended.

Your dentist will gain access to the root canal through the top of your tooth and use an instrument to clean out all of the pulp material and tissue inside the canal. The area is then disinfected until a biocement is injected into the canal to fill the space.

A root canal won't stop your tooth from producing new pulp. But the slow production of new pulp is more likely to be safe, as your body is sporadically, rather than constantly, attacking the tissue. You might have to undergo another root canal in the future, but this is one of the surest ways to save the tooth from resorption.

Apicoectomy

The tooth root connects to the tooth near the bottom of the root canal. Attacking cells can either enter through the root or pull the collapsing internal tissue down into the root. Your dentist might want to perform an apicoectomy to fix the problem.

An apicoectomy is a surgical procedure where the dentist removes the end of the root and seals it shut, which prevents anything from entering or leaving the tooth via the root. Your dentist will make a slit in the gums, locate the root end, and then use ultrasonic tools to remove and seal the end.

You might undergo an apicoectomy if you've previously had a standard root canal and the damage is still returning.

Extraction

Your dentist will try to keep your tooth alive and healthy, but sometimes the damage from resorption leaves the pulp too badly damaged or entirely dead. In these cases, your dentist will likely recommend extraction.

You will want to use a dental replacement such as a dental implant to occupy the extraction hole. The gap can let neighboring teeth move out of place and give you a bite issue on top of all the resorption problems. For more information about this procedure, visit Family Dental Center TriCities, PC.