Pulpitis: What It Is, And What To Do About It
Ongoing dental education from your St John’s Wood dentist
When plaque starts to build up on your teeth, the associated bacteria emit an acid which begins to degrade the tooth and erode the enamel; the toughest, strongest layer of the tooth. If this process is allowed to go on for some time, the tooth will naturally begin to decay.
It takes a lot for this to happen though, as teeth are designed to be exceptionally strong. Enamel, on top of dentin makes for a strong barrier to decay, but not one that can’t eventually be breached.
Underneath these strong layers however, are much more sensitive, delicate tissues, blood vessels and nerves which are well protected by the dentin and the enamel. It is only when the decay has reached this sensitive part of the tooth that we might get a hint something is wrong. Decay on the outer stronger layers can go on without us having any idea about it.
What Is Pulpitis?
Decay is occurring on a large scale when it reaches the pulp of the tooth. When this happens bacteria have easy access to this sensitive area, and are able to easily cause a nasty and painful infection. The pulp will become inflamed, sore and irritated. What makes this kind of infection worse is the fact that the pulp is surrounded by dentin and enamel, which means it has nowhere to go when the tissues swell from the infection. That painful pressure builds up, and so toothache occurs and causes you lots of horrible, uncomfortable symptoms.
The ache could come on suddenly, but it is likely it will begin mild, perhaps only showing itself when you eat really hot or cold foods. As the infection gets worse, you will notice the issue more as various parts of the mouth start to swell up, and when it is really severe you might have a swollen cheek, jaw and even blood coming from the infected area. This infection is called pulpitis.
What To Do About Pulpitis
When you have pulpitis, you have to seek treatment quickly. The team at Abbey Road Dental will remove the decay, clean the entire area and fill up the hole caused by the decay, so that no more nasty bacteria can get in and cause infections. When the infection has progressed considerably, root canal treatment is required. In this instance our dental team would have to remove the infected tissue completely, and then fill up the remaining gap with a special filling designed for this area of the tooth (not the same as the type of filling used for the visible parts of the tooth).
Once this procedure has occurred, the tooth is no longer alive and your NW8 dentist may well pop a crown on to help keep it protected and to restore some of its strength.
Avoiding Pulpitis
Prevention is always better than cure, and you can avoid pulpitis by taking good care of your teeth. This means avoiding bad habits like drinking excessively and smoking, eating lots of fruit and vegetables, brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes, and of course, visiting your NW8 dentist for regular checkups. If you need to book in with us for a checkup, please call 02076241603 and we will be more than happy to arrange that for you.