How Protracted Can a Dead Tooth Stay in Your Mouth?

How Protracted Can a Dead Tooth Stay in Your Mouth?

Mar 01, 2022

Are you aware your teeth are living beings? Your teeth are a combination of hard and soft tissue to make you think they are not alive. However, they are. Unfortunately, when the nerves in the dental pulp sustain damages due to injuries or tooth decay, they stop providing blood to the tooth. The disruption of blood supply causes an infection leading to the death of the nerves. In such cases, the dead tooth is called a non-vital tooth.

Please continue reading to learn more about identifying a dead tooth and the actions you must take if your tooth is injured.

Indicators of a Dead Tooth in Your Mouth

A dead tooth is one that doesn’t receive a fresh blood supply. You may notice discoloration as the first indicator of a dead tooth. You may also experience a toothache or pain in the gums. Healthy teeth are usually white, although the color varies according to your diet and oral hygiene. For example, if you are habitually accustomed to having staining foods and beverages and smoking, your teeth might appear off-white. However, the discoloration will likely be uniform.

If you have a discolored tooth, the color will appear different than the other teeth. Discoloration indicates the tooth is dying, making it appear yellow, light brown, grey, or black. In addition, the tooth may seem like it is bruised. The discoloration continues to increase over time as the tooth decays and the nerve dies.

Pain from the dying tooth, whether mild or excruciating or infections, can send you seeking treatments from the emergency dental care near you. Other indicators of disorders include a foul taste in your mouth, bad breath, and swelling around your gum line. If you experience the symptoms of a dying tooth, you must see your dentist right away, without exceptions.

What Happens with the Non-Removal of a Dead Tooth?

Non-removal of a dead tooth from your mouth is not wise because it can harm your remaining teeth and jaw, which is significantly dangerous. Depending on the extent and type of damage, the tooth may remain in your mouth for days, months, and even years before falling out by itself. The tooth remaining in your mouth doesn’t mean you should wait for it to fall out. Instead, experts recommend you visit your dentist and get the dead tooth dealt with sooner rather than later.

Confirming whether your tooth is dead or alive merely by looking at it is challenging for dentists, and you will find the challenge overwhelming. It is why the ADA and dentists recommend regular dental checkups.

Will a Dead Tooth eventually fall out?

A mortal tooth will ultimately fall out by itself. However, how long it remains in your mouth is challenging to determine. The extent of damage the tooth has incurred may cause it to stay in your mouth for months or years before eventually falling out. However, are you prepared to risk unnecessary infections in your mouth merely to preserve your smile? We are confident you will make every effort to ensure you don’t need to visit emergency dental in Gilbert, AZ, to receive intensive treatments at costly prices when you can have the dead tooth removed from the dentist near you and replaced with artificial solutions.

A dead tooth in your mouth is best removed as soon as possible because if left untreated, the bacteria from the dead tooth affect your jaws and cause additional tooth loss. The bacteria can also affect your jawbone and gums. If you get to the dentist early, they may treat a dead or dying tooth providing endodontic therapy. Alternatively, extraction may be the only solution available.

If your tooth is severely damaged and restoration is not possible, your dentist recommends entirely removing it. During the procedure, the dentist will extract the tooth from its roots. After you have recovered from the tooth extraction procedure, you can have replacements with dentures, bridges, or implants. Discuss your options with your dentist for the replacements. However, please do not leave a dead tooth in your mouth because it merely adds to the complications you have.

You can retain a dead tooth in your mouth as long as you wish if you are willing to endure painful conditions and infections in your mouth. However, if you aren’t, you help yourself by scheduling an appointment with Coral Pointe Dental & Orthodontics to have the dead tooth and enjoy better oral health.

Coral Pointe Dental and Orthodontics
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