Your teeth comprise more than the enamel layer that people strive so hard to keep sparkling white. Even with seemingly optimal dental hygiene evidenced by white teeth, the other layers of your teeth might not be in optimal condition.
The dental pulp is among the parts of your teeth that are often ignored and yet suffer the highest levels of damage. This part contains your nerves and blood vessels and is the innermost layer of your teeth. A root canal procedure here in Upland is the most common one for diseases of the dental pulp.
Even so, it is not the only treatment approach for pulp conditions. The ideal approach for your pulp issue depends on its type. Here are the common conditions that might affect your dental pulp.
Reversible Pulpitis
This is a mild inflammation of your dental pulp. It often follows small cracks in teeth that open the inner layers to environmental elements. The typical symptom of reversible pulpitis is varying levels of pain when eating or drinking something that is overly hot, cold, or sweet.
Most people mistake the pain for tooth sensitivity and reach for OTC products for treating the same. This only delays the management of reversible pulpitis and causes its progression to a dental abscess. The abscess is an accumulation of bacteria and pus.
Treatment of reversible pulpitis often calls for cleaning of the pulp cavity and the filling of the space left.
Irreversible Pulpitis
This is the severe inflammation of your dental pulp. The primary symptom of the condition is a sudden excruciating pain that lingers and is hardly alleviated by pain medication and cold treatments. Without prompt treatment, irreversible pulpitis results in the spread of bacteria and pus to the gums and oral connective tissues.
For the condition, the primary treatment approach is a root canal that gets rid of the infected pulp. At times, this might not be ideal, and the dentist will have to extract the infected tooth.
Dental Pulp Calcification
This is at times called dental pulp stones. The hardening of the pulp tissue characterizes it. This causes an unexplained hypersensitivity of your tooth and extreme pain since the nerves are compressed under the stones. Root canals are generally the ideal treatments to get rid of the dental stones and free your nerves.
Dental Pulp Exposure
This follows a compromise of your dental enamel layer, such as is common in trauma and untreated cavities. It exposes your pulp cavity to food particles and bacteria. The most common symptom of dental pulp exposure is mild pain. The condition can quickly progress to an abscess when left unmanaged.
Based on the amount of dental pulp exposure, a root canal, filling, or extraction might be the ideal approaches.
Simple physical examinations do not diagnose the above dental pulp conditions. The dentist will conduct x-rays to pick the extent of the inflammation. A sensitivity test might also be done to determine the extent of pain you experience when the tooth comes into contact with different stimuli.
This helps the dentist detect what part of the pulp is affected.
