Living with a devitalized tooth is a fairly common experience, it is a tooth undergoing root canal treatment following tooth decay. However, it happens that over time a devitalized tooth may be the object of discomfort and pain or, in the worst case, it could even fall.
Devitalized tooth: the complications that can arise
After any dental therapy, it is important to follow the dentist’s instructions, a very common attitude among patients is to desert the subsequent check-ups on time. The certainty of a successful intervention does not protect you from any subsequent complications.
In particular, a devitalized tooth must always be kept under control as pathologies could arise that could lead to complications in oral health.
Injuries
A devitalized tooth could present lesions over time due to wear or due to trauma or microtraumas. It is not always possible to notice micro-lesions on the obturation surface with the naked eye and there is probably also a tendency to neglect any discomfort during chewing. Under these conditions, if not monitored, it is very easy for the small lesion to be a useful space for the accumulation of food residues and subsequently bacteria.
A new infection could compromise the tooth to such an extent that it is no longer curable; in such circumstances the tooth could fall by itself or the dentist could be forced to proceed with the extraction of the same.
Granuloma
If caries has been able to act for a long time before proceeding with devitalization, it can happen that some bacteria have remained nested at the ends of the roots, causing chronic inflammation.
The bacteria through the root foramen reach the root of the tooth giving rise to an inflammation of the apex of the root of the tooth which is called granuloma. Bacteria can reach the root mainly for two reasons:
- for a microlesione in the filling that allows the infiltration of the bacteria;
- due to bacteria not completely eliminated through devitalization because they are nested in the dentinal tubules and cannot be reached by canal files.
This second possibility occurs if the caries has been neglected and diagnosed after a long period. In these cases, some bacteria could sneak into root canals that are difficult to reach with dental instruments.
Allergic states
The wear of the old fillings could give rise to the release, in the area of the devitalized tooth, of volatile particles that could cause allergies that manifest themselves with bubbles or swelling.
Devitalized tooth: the importance of periodic checks
No one better than a dentist can monitor the status of a devitalized tooth. Not to desert planned monitoring visits means preventing any type of complication or intervening in time.
Finally, never neglect the alarm bells that our body sends us. Intervening in a timely manner could allow you to treat and save teeth that could otherwise be used for extraction over time.
