What Happens if a Reabsorbed Tooth is Left Untreated?
The resorption of the tissue of permanent teeth is a degenerative and irreversible process that progressively erodes the dental roots (where there is no enamel but only dentin beneath a thin layer of "cement") until it causes loss, due to lack of support of the affected tooth. Generally, if a reabsorbed tooth is left untreated, it will lead to tooth loss and degeneration of the bones surrounding the tooth, which can affect the health of your whole mouth and smile.
There are two main types of reabsorption:
External
The immediate cause is the failure of at least part of the protective root cement, caused in turn by:
- Trauma from an external source (blow, fall, ...).
- Movement induced by orthodontic therapy (especially if the therapy tries to compress the time too much by forcing the teeth to move excessively quickly).
- Failure of a tooth to erupt and subsequent impact with the roots of a nearby tooth.
- Oral cancer.
Internal
In this case we speak of endodontic resorption, and it occurs in the internal canals of the dental roots due to an infection of the pulp or trauma from an external source.
How do we diagnose reabsorption?
Internal and external root resorptions very often develop in the absence of symptoms and are casually diagnosed only in an x-ray taken for another reason. Occasionally, tooth reabsorption can be noticed by the dentist with the naked eye due to the pink tint that the tooth takes on in the part closest to the crown of the root (it is the area also called the "dental collar"), a tint that is due to the disappearance of the internal layer of dentin, which exposes, through the translucent outer walls of the tooth, the internal pulp of the tooth.
The treatment of resorption
Therapy to avoid the most harmful outcomes of reabsorption differs between internal and external pathology.
In the case of internal resorption, the "demolition" of the roots from inside is stopped with endodontic treatment (devitalization through a root canal), which removes the cause of the pathology (the infected pulp) and is decisive if carried out before the erosion has reached a stage too advanced.
As for external resorption, root canal treatment is not helpful unless the resorption has progressed so far that the pulp is exposed and infected; however, in these cases the tooth is so compromised that many dentists suggest proceeding directly with extraction.
The therapy is therefore that of periodontal disease and consists of reaching the dental roots to eliminate all the inflamed tissue surrounding, and therefore in filling any cavities made in the dentin by the resorption process. Between the two types of resorption, the external one is certainly the one that can most quickly lead to tooth loss.
Internal root resorptions, however, at the end of endodontics see the degenerative process immediately stopped and, if the damage is not too extensive, it is possible to maintain the integrity and functionality of the involved tooth for a long time. In these cases, the most frequent complication is horizontal fracture of the involved root.