Root canal

[potatotate]

Can a tooth have infected pulp with no pain or other symptoms?

Awhile ago i had a cavity filled, and recently the tooth chipped some. Gradually more and more fell off and eventually (a few minutes ago) the filling fell out.

What's underneath looks exactly the same color as diagrams of infected pulp, except that it doesn't hurt at all

(The filling went down to about the gumline, and acording to the diagrams i looked at, dentin doesn't go that deep, so logically, what i'm seeing is pulp)


What procedure will i likely have to get, and what kind of anesthetic will i be treated with? (Like, will only my mouth be numbed, or will i be put fully unconsious)

 

[svor1988]

Certainly a local anesthetic.

Hope you get help from somebody else here.

But in case they don't, yes it is possible for pulp to be infected and you don't feel pain. They would use a tap test or a cold/hot test for diagnostics. Go see a dentist ASAP, with emergency booking if possible. Sounds to me like the original filling wasn't completely cured by the placing dental practitioner, thus it had insufficiently bonded to the tooth, allowing infection to set in underneath, leading to the failure you now see. Composites should last 8+ years.

In my experience, my main dentist always used their curing light for two cycles for each filling. They said they wanted to make sure it stayed. The next dentist I saw cured 3 adjacent composites for less than half a cycle in total. One fell out the next day, another a month later.

Looking around online I see one issue where older curing tools won't cure newer composite formulations well. There are also differences between the effectiveness of these curing light device models.

The former dentist was cheaper, however he made a mistake. So I thought by paying a more expensive dentist, that wouldn't happen. Boy I was wrong.

 

[Plaza Dental Group]

By viewing your snap I can say it’s a case of cavity but as a doctor I have to analyse you live in order to detect your oral problem. A root canal is normally done when there is a problem, such as inflammation or infection, which can result in tooth decay, a cracked tooth or a continued need to treat the area. Undergoing a root canal helps prevent pain and the possibility of developing an abscess. Root canals on broken teeth are necessary if the fracture is extensive enough that the pulp is exposed. Other indications for a root canal include deep decay and resorption. If the dentist has confirmed through examination and pulp tests that the root system is vital and healthy, then a root canal is not necessary and should not be performed. Once a root canal is done, the blood and nutrient supply of the tooth are depleted, causing the tooth to become brittle and weak. As the saying goes, "Don't fix something that isn't broken.