Is pulpitis dangerous? Causes, symptoms and treatment of pulpitis
Pulpitis is a common oral disease in Vietnam. Therefore, many people are very subjective and arbitrarily seek to cure toothache at home. However, this can lead to unpredictable consequences. Let’s find out the causes, signs, consequences and treatment process of pulpitis through the following article.
1. What is dental pulpitis?
The organization including blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue located in the dentin cavity is called the pulp. These organizations connect to the body through tiny holes in the tooth root.
The pulp is located deep inside the tooth.
When bacteria in the mouth enter the pulp through the cavity, or root, the pulp area and tissues around the root will become inflamed. In addition, toxic chemicals (lead, mercury,…) or physical factors (trauma, pressure changes,…) are also common causes of pulpitis. There are some exceptions where no cause can be found.
Inflammation of the tooth pulp is the body’s self-protective response to pathogens. The process of pulpitis progresses through many stages, in many different forms of damage, including: reversible pulpitis (pre-pulpitis), acute pulpitis, and chronic inflammation.
When attacked, the pulp automatically reacts with inflammation.
To avoid complications, the patient must completely treat the area of the tooth with pulp inflammation.
The dentist will give the patient pain medication, then proceed to treat the pulpitis. During and after the treatment process, patients need to ensure oral hygiene to avoid tooth decay, causing more severe inflammation of the pulp.
2. Causes of tooth pulp inflammation
The pulp is covered with dentin and enamel. Therefore, under normal conditions this area is very unlikely to be damaged. However, when the protective area is affected, the pulp is no longer safe and there is a high chance of infection.
What is the cause of toothache? There are four main reasons:
Tooth decay: The bacteria in the mouth will invade the tooth pulp through the cavity, causing the pulp to become inflamed.
Periodontitis: Inflammatory bacteria that exist in the area around the teeth can also cause pulpitis. Science calls this phenomenon retrograde myelitis.
Inflamed gums are the cause of the inflammation of the tooth pulp.
Tooth trauma: Unintentional incidents that cause teeth to be broken, chipped, damaged are also the cause of inflamed tooth pulp.
Problems during treatment: The cavities of the teeth are not sealed or the dentist conducts grinding while the teeth are still alive.
Bacteria attack the pulp through cavities.
3. Symptoms of dental pulpitis through each stage
When having pulpitis, the disease will progress through 3 levels from severe to mild with different signs.
Tooth discomfort when eating sweet, hot or cold foods.
The surface of the teeth has tiny holes like cavities.
Observe the pulp cavity, or a dark red, yellow-speckled mass exposed from the pulp chamber.
Other symptoms: Mild fever, swollen lymph nodes, bad breath, bitter mouth.
Duration: Pain is severe and lasts longer at night.
4. Inflammation of the tooth pulp and serious consequences
Pulpitis is a fairly common disease for people with poor oral care or an incision in the oral cavity. In addition to causing pain and discomfort, pulpitis can also spread to other parts of the oral cavity, creating serious complications.
Myelitis is often accompanied by symptoms of congestion. Prolonged inflammation can cause pulp death and complications such as inflammation around the root apex, periodontitis, abscess around the apex, osteomyelitis, …
5. How to treat pulpitis and important notes
So what to do with pulpitis? Specifically, at each level, the treatment of pulpitis will have different treatment regimens.
At level 1, the doctor will examine to find the cause of the pulp inflammation and institute treatment. At this time, the level of inflammation is still not severe, so it can be cured quickly. In some cases, you may need a filling to prevent further bacteria from entering the pulp.
To stage 2 pulpitis, the disease will progress more seriously, you often feel discomfort and pain. At this time, the dentist will directly treat the pulp and fill the tooth for you
The dentist will conduct a level 2 root canal treatment.
If the tooth is very loose or the infection is severe around the apex, you will have to extract and place the Implant. In contrast, the tooth is less loose, the infection area is small, the dentist will only treat the pulp, cut the apex and keep the real tooth for you.
Do not arbitrarily buy antibiotics to treat pulpitis.
6. A suitable lifestyle to prevent pulpitis
Practicing the following habits will significantly reduce your chances of getting pulpitis:
Avoid eating foods that are too hot or too cold.
Scientific diet with appropriate levels of carbohydrates.
Use a toothpaste containing fluoride to brush your teeth twice a day or after meals. Use dental floss instead of toothpicks to clean between teeth.
Using a salt water solution to rinse your mouth will help protect your teeth against the impact of harmful bacteria, and at the same time ensure the health of your teeth – throat. Dr.Muoi is a salt water mouthwash product chosen by many families today.
You can use Dr.Muoi mouthwash directly because the product has been prepared with a safe concentration of 0.9% NaCl. At the same time, the salt solution does not contain alcohol, is not spicy, suitable for children 6 years and older to use.
Dr.Salt mouthwash is produced based on strict water purification process on American and Italian Culligan equipment. (You may not know: Culligan is the leading water treatment solutions provider in the world with over 80 years of experience certified by WQA).
Gargle with Dr.Salt daily to prevent dental diseases.
If not treated promptly, dental pulpitis can cause many dangerous complications. Therefore, you should immediately go to medical facilities for examination and treatment as soon as you detect the first symptoms.
In addition, it is necessary to raise awareness of clean oral hygiene to prevent pulpitis.
Hopefully, the above article has helped you answer the question of what is pulpitis, distinguish the signs of pulpitis and understand how to treat pulpitis. Don’t forget to read our next oral health articles!
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