The teeth share a similar composition to the bones in your body. Both structures contain high amounts of calcium that keep them strong and able to withstand pressure without breaking. However, while bones feature blood vessels that keep them healthy, teeth only have blood vessels in the pulp, the central cavity of the tooth.
Blood circulation in the bone allows it to heal over time if it suffers a fracture. Teeth do not have this ability to heal on their own. This is why it is so crucial to call a dentist if you sustain any type of damage to the teeth.
In most cases, a damaged tooth cannot heal without intervention from a dentist. But with a dentist’s help, you can maintain a healthy smile, even after a dental injury. You can explore more about the prognosis for different types of dental damage when you read on.
How to Restore a Cracked Tooth
Although the teeth experience regular wear and tear without difficulty, sometimes, under high pressure, a tooth can crack. A chip, crack, or fracture in the tooth’s surface creates a vulnerable area where oral bacteria can infiltrate and cause significant damage. And unlike bone, a tooth cannot fix this crack on its own.
A dentist will need to treat tooth breakage, whether it is minor and cosmetic in nature or a severe fracture. The injury will deepen and worsen without intervention, so do not ignore this injury.
The dentist can treat a broken tooth by covering the damage with a dental crown, a ceramic cap that fits over the surface of the tooth. This stops the crack from deepening and prevents external elements from penetrating and hurting the tooth further.
Treatment for Enamel Erosion
Sometimes, the enamel of the tooth, its hard outer layer, can suffer damage over time rather than sustain an acute injury. Excess oral bacteria and acidic substances can both eat away at the minerals that make up your enamel. This dental erosion weakens the teeth, exposing the more vulnerable interior of the tooth to potential harm.
As mentioned, enamel cannot regrow because of its lack of blood supply. However, a dentist can replace weakened enamel through restorative dentistry. The dentist can use a crown to create a new, strong shield over the tooth, restoring its health, function, and aesthetics.
Prognosis for Damaged Tooth Pulp
Although the pulp of a tooth is shielded by both enamel and dentin, you can still suffer an injury to this part of the tooth. Advanced tooth decay due to an untreated cavity or an acute traumatic blow to the face might cause damage to this inner chamber in the tooth.
If this happens, the blood vessels within the pulp can malfunction or become blocked. Damage to the tooth pulp is often irreversible because of this disruption to the blood flow. This type of damage also puts the tooth in danger of infection.
However, sometimes, if diagnosed early enough, an infected tooth pulp can be reversible. You will require urgent intervention from a dentist to treat the problem though. Make sure you visit your dentist regularly for prompt diagnoses and preventive dental care.