Causes of a root inflammation

introduction

Tooth root inflammation, or apical periodontitis, is a deep inflammation of the tooth and is the response to a bacterial infection.

Infected is that contained in the pulp tissue, so Blood and nerve vessels.

But what are the causes of a tooth root inflammation? Are there particular risk groups who are more likely to suffer from this phenomenon than others? Can mental and psychological factors influence a tooth root inflammation or even cause it to develop? Or can the development of a tooth root inflammation even be hereditary?

What is certain is that if the inflammation spreads in the jawbone, if this disease is not treated or adequately treated, serious consequences will occur.

Read more on the topic: Symptoms of root inflammation

Causes of a root inflammation

A tooth root inflammation can have various causes. Probably the most common is advanced tooth decay that has reached the pulp (tooth pulp) and inflamed the nerve and blood vessels it contains. The inflammation can progress to the tip of the root and infect the surrounding tissue up to the bone. This apical periodontitis often leads to the death of the nerve tissue running in the tooth and thus to the devital or, in popular parlance, "dead" tooth. The inflammation can progress to the point that it infiltrates the tooth's surrounding bone compartment and breaks down the bone. The tooth becomes loose. In the worst case, this leads to tooth loss.

Read more on the topic: Dead tooth

Another cause of root inflammation can be anatomical. Every tooth is different. The basic building block of the enamel layer, the hydroxyapatite, is always the same, but enamel can often have micro-grooves that allow bacteria to run free. Genetic variations are possible with these microgrooves. The bacteria make their way through the enamel layer via the dentin to the pulp and infect the vessels contained there.

L.read more about: Tooth structure

Wisdom teeth are also a possible cause of tooth root inflammation. If these do not have enough space to integrate into the dental arch or are designed in such a way that they cannot break through, they are often very close to the roots of the due to their inclined position respective neighboring tooth. The tooth root of the neighboring tooth is often irritated as a result and the surrounding bone compartment is broken down by this mechanical irritation. Bacteria settle in this cavity, infect the tooth root and cause tooth root inflammation.

Another cause of this disease is trauma (mechanical injury). If a tooth has felt a blow or something similar at some point in the past, it can develop a tooth root inflammation decades later. A fall or mechanical irritation, for example, are possible trauma.

Grinding teeth at night can also lead to trauma. In the worst case, the nerve dies from the trauma and the tooth turns dark. Often this is the only visible sign for those affected, provided it does not cause any painful effects.

Even when grinding the teeth, as a pretreatment in order to be able to incorporate dentures such as bridges and crowns, insufficient water cooling can cause inflammation of the tooth macrus and the tooth root. The protective layer of the tooth, the enamel, is only thinly present due to the grinding process and does not end without gaps, for example with the crown. It is now possible for bacteria to penetrate the tooth pulp directly via the dentine and trigger a tooth root inflammation

An inflammation of the gum tissue, periodontitis, can also be the cause of a tooth root inflammation. If the periodontitis is treated too late or not treated, it can attack and infect the tooth roots. The teeth whose roots have become infected often loosen and the risk of tooth loss increases.

Psychological and emotional causes

The mental state of a person and, above all, the level of stress are linked to dental health. Stress is poison for the human body and, in addition to psychological, emotional and psychosocial problems, also has a negative effect on the dental status. It is not uncommon for people to wake up in the morning and they are totally muscular tense, to have Jaw cracking or insane a headache by pressing and crunching at night. Exactly this processing of stress during sleep or during the day can promote the development of a tooth root inflammation.

The Overload of the complete Teeth supporting apparatus constant irritation can lead to inflammatory processes. This Crani-mandibular dysfunction (short CMD) upsets the complete balance of dental health. Mechanical pressure is exerted through pressing and grinding, which can irritate or even traumatize the tooth to such an extent that the nerve in the pulp dies. Bacteria can now migrate beyond the tip of the root and cause tooth root inflammation.

But not only a local inflammation favors the development of a tooth root inflammation, a generalized inflammation of the gums, a periodontitis, can be triggered by the incorrect loading.

Risk factors

Since the causes of tooth root inflammation are very diverse, it is examined whether there are special risk groups who develop this disease more often than others. Patients who participate in a chronic, aggressive periodontal disease are ill have an increased risk of developing tooth root inflammation. This type of periodontal disease can inherited and burden the offspring. Accordingly, the tooth support system is constantly on Bacterial environment and the generalized inflammatory processes can spread to individual tooth roots.

Ask another risk factor systemic diseases that have been shown to promote the development of tooth decay. This includes, for example Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)

Also the Texture of the enamel affects the development of inflammatory processes. If the enamel structure is pervaded by micro-grooves, bacteria have an easier and quicker chance of reaching the pulp and inflaming the nerve. Also special genetic diseases like that Amelogenesis imperfecta, in which the enamel layer is only partially, defective or not present at all, represents a risk factor. It has been proven that these patients are particularly prone to caries because the protective enamel layer is not present.