Dead Tooth: Signs, Treatment, Pain Management

It usually starts with some mild pain, maybe some slight discoloration, or even a weird smell that you can't put a pin on. Slowly but surely, those small symptoms lead you to ask yourself, “Do I have a dead tooth?” More sinister than a simple cosmetic concern, a dead tooth is a dental condition that can silently destroy your oral health.

If neglected, a dead tooth can rapidly escalate into a serious complication, causing pain, infections, and even damaging your other teeth. One should have a proper understanding of what causes dead teeth, what they look like, and how to manage the pain caused by them.

What Is a Dead Tooth

All of your teeth have a soft and extremely sensitive center, known as the pulp chamber. The pulp chamber contains numerous nerves, tissues, and blood vessels that are vital to the health of a tooth. Dead teeth, sometimes called non-vital teeth, occur when the nerves and blood vessels inside the pulp chamber have stopped functioning entirely. Once this has happened, the affected teeth are stripped of any nourishment, causing sensitivity, discoloration, and in severe cases, infections.

What Causes a Tooth to Die?

Dead teeth are typically the result of two major dental complications, which are:

Untreated Tooth Decay

Neglecting a tooth affected by decay is one of the most common causes of dead teeth. A cavity allowed to progress into the advanced stages of decay will tear through your enamel and dentin over time. This leaves the hyper-sensitive pulp chamber exposed to all of the acidic bacterial accumulation that was eroding your tooth.

Eventually, the nerves and blood vessels within will contract an infection, becoming inflamed and causing the tooth to die due to insufficient blood flow. A slow but devastating process, by the time the pain is noticeable, the damage is already quite severe.

Dental Trauma or Injuries

Whether it's a football to the face or an unfortunate bicycling accident that plants you on your face, any form of dental trauma can interfere with your teeth's blood supply, even if the damage isn't immediately apparent. As time passes post-injury, the affected teeth may start darkening as the internal tissue dies.

This is extremely common in people who regularly participate in contact sports and can happen to both adults and children. If you’ve taken a hit to the face recently and one of your teeth starts greying out, you might have a dying tooth.

Dead Tooth Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore

Most people don't even realize their tooth is dead until their symptoms become severely disruptive. Identifying a dead tooth early is crucial if you plan on saving it. After a certain stage, restoration becomes an impossibility, leaving you with extraction as the only solution. Here is a breakdown of some of the most common dead tooth symptoms you should watch out for:

Discolored Teeth

One of the earliest signs that your tooth is dying is a noticeable change in color. Healthy teeth are typically a shade of white, whereas a dead or dying tooth might be:

• Grey or yellowish
• Light brown
• Dark grey or almost black

The discoloration clearly signifies that your tooth's internal tissue is dying and decomposing. How rapidly an affected tooth changes color depends on the level of damage; sometimes, a dying tooth might darken over the course of weeks or months.

Persistent Tooth Pain

A dead tooth isn't always painful, but when it is, the pain is usually quite severe. A deep throbbing sensation that can make anyone’s day utterly unbearable. The pain tends to get worse when you're chewing or consuming anything particularly hot or cold.

If you’re at a point where your most recent Google searches are “how to get rid of tooth pain” or “how to stop tooth pain fast at home at night”, it might be time for a visit to the dentist because no amount of pain relief will sort out a dead or dying tooth nerve.

A Foul Taste or Smell

Dead teeth tend to emit unpleasant odors and can leave a rotten taste in your mouth. This is due to the bacterial accumulation and the literal decomposition happening inside the tooth's pulp chamber. If you’ve got a nasty taste in your mouth that just won't wash away, you might have a dead tooth.

Gum Swelling and Tooth Sensitivity

If you notice tooth sensitivity and your gums swelling, becoming tender, or darkening in color around an affected tooth, it might be dying. The tissue surrounding a decaying tooth tends to feel puffy and sore when decay and harmful bacteria have reached the root of your tooth.

A Loose Tooth

If infection and decay are left untreated for extended periods of time, a dying tooth might start to loosen from its socket. If you’re at this stage, you likely require immediate professional care as it's a direct indicator of extreme infection and decay.

What Does a Dead Tooth Look Like?

Externally, a dead tooth might have the following characteristics:

• It’s duller and darker than your other teeth.
• Its edges are mildly translucent.
• It remains stained even after you make an effort to whiten it.
• It’s surrounded by irritated or inflamed gums.

Even with these identifiers, it's still prudent to consult with a dental professional if you think you might have a dead tooth, as occasionally they are indistinguishable from normal teeth. A dentist will likely conduct pulp vitality tests, X-rays, or cold stimulus tests to accurately determine if a tooth is dead or dying.

Can a Dead Tooth Be Saved?

If you catch one before the decay has reached an irreversible stage, a dead tooth can definitely be saved with the appropriate treatment; however, some cases can be particularly problematic. Depending on how advanced the decay is, a dentist might opt for:

A Root Canal

Arguably, the most widespread and effective way to save a dead tooth is a root canal. Dentists will start by drilling out the dead and decomposing pulp inside the tooth. Then they’ll likely disinfect and thoroughly sterilize the now-empty pulp chamber and proceed to fill it with dental filling material to prevent reinfection. After the root canal is over, a dentist will place a dental crown over the freshly drilled tooth to give it back its strength and functionality.

Tooth Extraction

An extraction is usually reserved for the absolute worst cases, where a tooth has become utterly unsaveable. For a tooth to even get to a stage where an extraction is necessary, one has to actively neglect decay for an extended period of time, allowing the nerves to completely die out and the tooth to begin falling out of its socket.

The process is fairly straightforward; a dentist will remove the afflicted tooth and sanitize any affected areas around it. You will likely need a replacement after an extraction to prevent your other teeth from shifting out of place.

Temporary Pain Management for a Dead Tooth

The pain that a dying tooth nerve radiates can vary a lot; it may be dull and manageable or totally agonising. While the only long-term solution is professional dental care, there are still some methods to soothe the pain temporarily. These include:

Home Remedies for Killing Exposed Nerve in Tooth Pain

Before you rush to the pharmacy to stock up on over-the-counter painkillers, you can try some convenient and accessible home remedies to minimise your pain:

Saltwater Rinse: Just mix some simple table salt with warm water and rinse out your mouth. This can help with inflammation and keeping the area clean.

Cold Compress: Press a cold pack against your cheek; this can have a numbing effect and tends to reduce swelling.

Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse: Dilute equal parts water and hydrogen peroxide and rinse your mouth with it to fight off bacteria and sanitize any affected areas. Be very careful not to swallow any.

Garlic Paste: Garlic has useful natural antibacterial properties; just crush a clove into a fine paste and tenderly apply some to the area that hurts. It’ll help disinfect it and reduce pain.

Keep in mind that these methods don't actually kill the tooth nerve; they just soothe inflammation and reduce pain temporarily. If you’re counting on these and repeatedly looking up “how to stop tooth pain fast”, it’s time for a dentist. A tooth with an exposed nerve will never heal on its own.

How Dentists Test for a Dead Tooth

Dentists typically utilise multiple methods to accurately diagnose a dead tooth. Some of these methods are:

• Precussion Test: Your dentist will lightly tap on the concerning tooth to see if there's any sensitivity or pain.
• Thermal Test: A dentist can also apply hot or cold temperatures to your tooth in a controlled manner to see if the tooth has any adverse reaction.
• Electric Pulp Test: Some dentists may decide to send a tiny electrical current through your tooth to see if the nerve responds.
• X-rays: An X-ray can help reveal extensive decay that isn't apparent on the surface, as well as abscesses or bone near the roots.

Risks of Leaving a Dead Tooth Untreated

Neglecting a dead tooth is a terrible idea. It might not happen immediately, but dead teeth can cause severe medical complications such as:

• Spreading Infection: Bacteria exuded from decomposing pulp will eventually travel downwards, deep into the roots. This will form an abscess, which causes extreme pain and swelling.
• Bone Loss: Allowing infections to fester around dying teeth will start to erode your jawbone, leaving your teeth with no support.
• Tooth Loss: The dead tooth will end up falling out or requiring extraction, which can cause a litany of long-term complications.
• Systemic Health Risks: Severe oral infections left untreated will eventually spread into your bloodstream and start ravaging your internal organs.

Basically, do not ignore a dead tooth. If you suspect that you may have one, go to a dentist immediately. The sooner you can start treatment, the less severe the effects will be.

Preventing a Dead Tooth

Here are some simple habits you can incorporate into your daily life to ensure you don't have to experience a dead tooth:

• Start brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
• Floss often to get rid of plaque stuck between your teeth.
• Visit a dentist every 6 months or so.
• Wear a mouth guard for jaw pain or during sports to prevent injury.
• Address tooth sensitivity as early as you can, as it usually signals an underlying issue.

Taking preventative measures is cheaper and easier than full-blown restorative treatment.

Wrapping Up: Take A Dead Tooth Very Seriously

Dead teeth don't just heal on their own. Once the internal nerve ending has died, your only option is professional care. Whether it's a root canal or an extraction, a dentist is the only way to properly treat a dead tooth. Identifying one as early as possible is essential; if left untreated for too long, a dead tooth can turn into a major medical emergency, doing lasting damage to your overall health. Be consistent with your oral hygiene and do your best to minimise dental trauma. You can't grow new permanent teeth, but you can change your habits so you don't have to.