Saving a Dead Tooth

The first thing you need to know about a dead tooth is that it was most likely caused by an infection due to cavity or tooth decay. There is a soft tissue called pulp located beneath the gums or at the root and center of each tooth. This pulp is responsible in maintaining the tooth’s health and solidness. When the pulp is infected, the nerves and the lymphatic vessels will inflame and eventually decay resulting in a dead tooth.

Aside from tooth infection, trauma or accidents and certain dental treatments may cause damage to the tooth.  Tooth fillings and crowns can also pose a significant threat to your tooth's health and may result in a dead tooth.

although a tooth may be considered dead due to infection, a dead tooth can be saved by a root canal. A root canal procedure is an invasive tooth surgery that cleans the infection or the decaying potion of the pulp. This surgery has a reputation of being painful.  However, it is not too painful with the help of anesthesia. The rumors of a painful root canal procedure are not always true.  Here are some facts about root canals.

1. Anesthesia will be administered so that you will not feel any pain during the procedure.

2. Once the tooth area is numbed with anesthesia, the surface of the tooth will be cleaned by a rubber dam to ensure that no bacteria will infect the inside of your tooth during the root canal.

3. A dental drill procedure will follow and it will be done at the chew-portion or the mid section of the enamel of tooth.

4. Inside the tooth, there is a narrow chamber that needs to be cleaned to save a dead tooth nerve. A thin rod will be inserted to do the cleaning.  After cleaning the inside, your tooth will be filled around drilled opening. The dentist may use a special dental drill or handpiece to hold and twist the dental filings.  Some dentists still prefer to use their fingers to finish the filling process though.

There are actually 3 main options to save a dead tooth and root canal is just one of them. The other two options are dental implants and tooth extraction. A dead tooth can cause jaw and gum pains and also terrible headaches. It can cause bad breath too so, you need to choose a method to save yourself from bad breathe agony.