Identifying and Treating a Dead Tooth
Our teeth are made up of hard and soft tissues. The pulp is the interior layer of the tooth. It comprises of nerves, which when damaged stop providing blood to the tooth. This results in infections and leads a tooth to die. Such a tooth is referred to as a non-vital tooth.
Signs of a dead tooth A tooth that does not receive a fresh supply of blood is referred to as a dead tooth. Tooth discoloration isa preliminary sign of a dying tooth. Even pain in tooth or gums could indicate the same. This, however, doesn’t mean people with a uniformly discolored tooth in the shades of off-white or light yellow are heading towards dying teeth! Discoloration: A discoloured and dying tooth will be a shade different than the rest of the teeth. It could appear yellow, light brown, grey, or even black. It could even look as if it’s bruised. Such discoloration increases with time, with the further decaying of the tooth. Pain:A common symptom for a dying tooth is a pain in the tooth and adjoining gums. This may or may not be accompanied with sensitivity. Other possible symptoms of dying tooth could be bad breath, swelling around the gum line and bad taste in your mouth.