If you have an absessed tooth, does that mean your nerves are dead?

Question:

I am getting a root canal in 5 hours..The dentist said he is not going to put any anesthesia in my mouth because my tooth is already dead and so i wont feel a thing (as in pain). IS THAT TRUE? DENtists out there please answer!! THANK U!

Answers:
absessed dosen't mean it's dead. But it doesn't mean it's alive either. If he says it's dead it probably is. I had a root canal once. The tooth was absessed but still alive. But after the root canal I went back and got it fill and and capped with no pain killer. That I did not feel at all because the tooth was dead after the root canal.

Other Answers:
Ask for novocaine. An abcessed tooth does not mean that all the nerves in and around your tooth are dead. He should give you some novocaine, and more if you need it during the procedure.

It's possible. An absess simply means that there is an infection in the nerve/root. And sometimes, the root actually does die. And xray will generally show if the nerve is dead. However, I would make sure that if I felt so much as a sting, that he would be shooting my mouth up with anesthesia.

An abscess is an infection under the skin (gum line) doesn't have anything to due with nerves. If the tooth in question is rotted and you do not feel any pain then you shouldn't feel it being pulled. If you do have pain in that area then you will feel it being pulled. Also depends on the location of your tooth in question.

NO an absessed tooth does not mean ur nerves are dead. It just means u have an infection.

The dentist might either give u medication and will ask u to come later for removing the tooth or else he will give u local anaesthesia and take out the tooth. If he is not giving local anaesthesia then it will be painful.

If you are eligible for anesthetic (meaning you do not have adverse reactions to it, or have a condition that precludes it's use) - USE ANESTHESIA.

If the dentist says your tooth is dead, and you do not respond to vitality tests, then, yes, your tooth is most likely dead. BUT, nerve fibers in the tooth can still send pain impulses for many months after the tooth has died!

In my endodontics class, there was a lecture stressing the importance of the use of anesthetic, even for dead teeth, because of the high likelihood that the nerves are still capable of sending impulses when provoked enough.

In short: GET ANESTHESIA!
Source(s):
I'm a Student Dentist

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If you have an absessed tooth, does that mean your nerves are dead?

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