Tooth pulp: definition and functions

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What is dental pulp

If you are reading this article, you are surely wondering what dental pulp is. Well, the dental pulp or also known as dental pulp is the soft tissue located inside the tooth, in the pulp cavity, and which contains the nerve, blood vessels and connective tissue.

Sometimes it is erroneously called "nerve", although we have seen that it is contained within the pulp of the tooth.

The pulp cavity extends into the root of the tooth as the root canal or canal that opens into the tooth-supporting tissue, the periodontium. Blood vessels and nerve enter and exit the tooth through the apical foramen, communicating the pulp and surrounding tissue. This is clinically important in the spread of inflammation from the pulp to the surrounding periodontium.

Dental pulp containing the blood vessels and nerves of the tooth

Functions of the dental pulp

The dental pulp has three main functions:

Provide vitality to the tooth

The main function of the dental pulp is to provide vitality to the tooth. Its loss after endodontic treatment does not mean that the tooth is lost. Simply, the tooth works without pain, but loses the pulp protection mechanism.

Protective and restorative function of teeth

This protective function responds to stimuli such as heat, cold, pressure, dentin cutting operating procedures or caries, sending a danger signal warning that the tooth is suffering damage and inducing the formation of reactive dentin, giving rise to its protection. and thus helping to maintain the vitality of the tooth.

tooth formation

Another of its functions is to initiate tooth formation. The pulp interacts with the surrounding tissues during development, nourishing the tooth until it is fully developed and forming the dentin.

Damage to the dental pulp

Pulp affections can occur for different reasons:

Infectious: bacteria responsible for caries

Physical: changes in temperature or pressure, trauma and in some cases electrical or radioactive.

Chemicals: due to poisoning.

Painful inflammation of the pulp results in a condition known as dental pulpitis. The main cause of pulpitis is the presence of dental caries. If the inflammation is mild, it may be reversible, but if it is severe, the pulp may die, even leading to an abscess if left untreated.

In addition to decay, trauma or bruxism weaken the outer layers of the tooth, leaving the dental pulp exposed.

Source: adeslasdental

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