Pulp Friction

Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge the health of your roots by the appearance of your teeth. Unbeknownst to you, your roots could be silently, painlessly dissolving under the gum surface. This process is called root resorption.

You may not realize it but you’ve experienced this already once in your development. Root resorption is the process by which the roots of ‘baby’ teeth ‘melt away,’ allowing the tooth to easily fall out. Unfortunately, external and internal pressure on the secondary root system can trigger root resorption in your ‘permanent’ teeth.

There are two kinds of root resorption:

1. Internal: The tooth is destroyed from the inside of the tooth outward. It’s typically caused by infection in the tooth pulp, the soft, spongy portion inside of a tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves. Your body sends bone destroying cells to the infected area. As the tooth is destroyed, the pink pulp is sometimes visible through the thin tooth shell. Early diagnosis is key to saving the tooth in this case.
2. External: External resorption is usually due to a damaged tooth, and it is more difficult to manage. For example, tooth loss caused by a blow to the mouth can cause some of the supporting structures in the tooth area to be irreversibly damaged. When we place the tooth back into its socket, the jawbone and the neighboring teeth can reject the newly transplanted tooth. Your body attacks the “foreign invader.”
   

Your best defense against root resorption is x-rays and regular checkups. Early diagnosis is important for treating most dental conditions. Having regular dental x-rays allows us to see root resorption before it gets out of hand and gives us a better chance of saving your tooth. At your next appointment, let’s make sure your x-rays are up to date and get to the ‘root’ of the matter.