Is the pulp the tooth nerve?

In life, people often experience dental nerve pain. When this symptom occurs, we must find a way to protect the dental pulp, which is beneficial to the entire disease. During the treatment process, doctors will fully consider this point, especially during surgical treatment, the patient's dental pulp must not be damaged. I believe that many people do not know the difference between dental pulp and dental nerve. Are these two the same thing?

Is the pulp the tooth nerve?

The doctor will decide whether to retain or remove the dental nerve based on the actual condition of the tooth. If the lesion involves the dental nerve, the effect of conservative treatment is often not ideal. It may solve the patient's problem and meet the patient's needs in the short term, but in the long run, as the infection progresses, the lesion may gradually involve the periapical and periodontal tissues, and the dental nerve will eventually have to be extracted.

Many people are afraid of extracting tooth nerves, but root canal treatment is a must and a critical step. This is because the pulp is already severely infected and cannot be saved. If the pulp is still alive, there will be pain. In order to eliminate pain, remove the diseased pulp and prevent the infection from getting worse, it is necessary to remove the tooth nerve and perform root canal treatment.

1. Is the dental pulp the dental nerve?

When treating teeth, I often hear these two terms. Are there any differences between them? Many people cannot tell the difference, but in fact, the two are different. The dental nerve is a component of the dental pulp, which also contains other tissues, such as blood vessels, lymph, etc. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand these, as long as your dentist understands them. Killing the tooth nerve is a step in root canal treatment, which is a more thorough way to treat dental pulp disease.

2. When is root canal treatment necessary?

Generally, this treatment is only needed for severe tooth decay, such as pulpitis, pulp necrosis, apical periodontitis, etc., which all require root canal treatment. After root canal treatment, the dental nerve has been extracted, and the tooth has no pulp to provide nutrition. Not only will it change color, but it will also be prone to breakage, resulting in a shortened service life of the tooth. Therefore, after root canal treatment, you can make a crown to protect it. If you don't do it, you must pay special attention to protecting this tooth in the future and don't use it to chew hard objects.

3. Can the dental nerve be extracted?

Many patients prefer nerve preservation, but sometimes this desire is difficult to achieve. Because the doctor will decide whether to keep or extract the tooth based on the actual condition of the tooth. If the lesion involves the dental nerve, general treatment methods are ineffective. It may relieve the pain in the short term, but as the infection worsens, the pain will reappear. At this time, root canal treatment may not be effective, and it would be a pity to have to extract the tooth in the end. Therefore, when you express your thoughts to your doctor, you should also follow the doctor's advice and not be willful.

Currently, there is no oral or topical medication to treat pulpitis, nor is there any medication or method to repair damaged enamel. The pain can only be eliminated through root canal treatment. Although there are folk remedies that claim putting Sichuan peppercorns on cavities can relieve pain, this only paralyzes the nerves of the tooth and the pain will still occur afterwards.