Is a Tooth Alive?

Can teeth be considered as being alive? Well a tooth cannot move around on its own and reproduce like any other living organism. Also, a tooth cannot develop by itself if it is not inside a living body. But a tooth, like all other organs, has a flow of nerves and blood vessels. This blood flow helps it grow and mature before it emerges in the mouth.

When a tooth has completed its development and is located in its right position on the jaw, it does not really need the nerves and blood vessels located in its pulp chamber. A tooth can remain functional without needing blood and nerves that originally helped it progress to maturity. That is why a tooth that has had a root canal can remain in a person’s mouth for a lifetime and play its purpose of chewing and eating.

Full article: Are Teeth Alive?
In French: Est-ce qu’une dent est vivante?

Dental Problems and Overall Health

If you have dental problems, such as cavities, gum disease or infections, can they affect your health in general? Yes they can!

Dental health and body health are linked. The mouth should be considered like an open door to all kinds of infections that can eventually reach other organs in the body. Most dental problems are caused by bacteria and other harmful micro-organisms. Those bugs can be the cause of dental cavities, gum disease, and abscesses.

If these dental problems are not taken care of, oral bugs that are harmful can enter the blood stream and spread to other places. There is medical proof that some systemic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, can be caused or complicated by such oral infections.

Full article: Is there a Relationship between Dental Problems and Overall Health Problems?
In French: Problèmes dentaires et problèmes de santé

Leaving a Cavity Untreated

Cavity's bacteria

What might happen if you leave a cavity in your mouth without treating it? Tooth decay is like an infection. It is made of harmful microscopic bugs that use sugar to attack teeth. With time this creates a little hole in a tooth, and if not repaired with a filling, the cavity continues to grow.

If a cavity is not treated it can destroy a good part of the tooth, making it hard to be rapaired with a conventional filling. If a lot of the tooth is gone, only a crown can fix it.

If the decay’s micro-organisms reach the pulp chamber, where the nerve and blood vessels are located, then the pulp becomes irritated and infected. This can eventually lead to an abscess which can be very painful. Only a root canal can fix a tooth when its pulp is infected, and a crown is then probably needed as a final restoration.

There are also situations where a tooth is so much destroyed by a cavity that nothing can be done to fix it, not even a root canal and a crown. In that case the tooth would sadly need to be extracted.

Full article: What Happens if You Don’t Treat a Cavity?
In French: Laisser une carie sans la traiter