DENTAL HEALTH...REVERSIBLE PULPITIS

DENTAL HEALTH…REVERSIBLE PULPITIS

Nov 27, 2016 News

By Dr. Neromini Fagu

There are a number of reasons why a tooth may become painful. One of the most common is due to pulpitis. The dental pulp is located below the dentine and enamel layer and contains the nerves and blood vessels of the tooth. When it gets inflamed the condition is called pulpitis and inflammation inside a tooth is never good.
Our body’s normal response to irritation is to send extra blood and defense cells to the site causing the area to get red and puffy and to expand as it starts to heal. While this is okay for most parts of the body, it is not so okay for the tooth as there is no room for expansion of the pulp because of the hard surrounding tissues.
This causes an increase in pressure inside the tooth and signals pain to our brain. There are two types of pulpitis, irreversible and reversible and this week we will focus on reversible pulpitis.
Causes
Reversible pulpitis is a mild inflammation of the dental pulp and may be caused by anything that irritates the pulp. Some common causes include:
· Cavities that haven’t reached the pulp as yet
· Dentine exposure which allows bacteria to irritate the pulp
· Dental work such as fillings, crown preparations or root scaling
· A fracture of the tooth extending to the enamel and dentine layers but not to the pulp
Symptoms
One of the most common symptoms of reversible pulpitis is a short sharp pain that lasts a few seconds usually occurs after consuming something cold or sweet or exposure to short blasts of air.
Evaluation
To determine the type of pulpitis you have, your dentist may do the following:
· Take a thorough dental history and ask about recent dental work or trauma
· Ask about previous history of pain in the tooth in question including description of the pain, when did it start/stop, what causes/relieves it, its intensity, and its duration
· Perform an intraoral examination to check for exposed dentine, caries, a deep or defective restoration, or trauma
· Perform a percussion test, thermal test and/or electrical test
· Use radiographs to identify teeth with large restorations or caries that are not clinically visible.
Diagnosis
Generally, there are four possible pulp diagnosis that a tooth may have: normal, reversible pulpitis, irreversible pulpitis, or necrotic (dead). Reversible pulpitis may be indicated if there is sharp sensitivity to cold, sometimes to sweets and sometimes to biting. The pain does not usually linger for long and disappears after the stimulus is removed. There is usually no marked sensitivity to heat. Swelling is not usually present as the inflammation inside the tooth is not as pronounced. Visually there may be the presence of caries or tooth fracture.
Radiographically the tissue around the tooth may appear normal. Differential diagnosis is needed to rule out other conditions with similar signs and symptoms.
Treatment
Fortunately, reversible pulpitis gets its name because the condition can go away if the cause is eliminated. Depending on the cause, treatment option may include restoring a new cavity with a filling or replacing a defective filling, covering up exposed dentine, or simply remineralizing a cavity that is just beginning. The patient may be prescribed anti-inflammatory or pain medications and be advised to return to their dentist if symptoms persist or worsen.
If reversible pulpitis is not treated in time the condition will become irreversible leading to the probable loss of the tooth.

For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.

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