Our teeth develop from a combination of soft and hard tissues. If they are working correctly in our body, we may assume they are alive. But what if any one of them stops working! There might be signs of a dead tooth. Nerves which are located in the inner layer of a tooth’s pulp get damaged by different causes, such as injury or decay, which limit blood circulation to the tooth. This result in infection and the nerve may stop working permanently. Our teeth are so vital to our overall health that even subsequent pain or a tiny amount of tooth decay can create major distress, especially in such cases where a person doesn’t know where it is coming from.
A tooth can also die due to poor dental hygiene. If cavities are left untreated, they can slowly destroy the teeth’s condition. Cavities form on the enamel that is the outer protective layer of the teeth. If left untreated, they can slowly eat the enamel and threaten the pulp. It can cause the pulp to become infected which cuts off blood to the pulp and causes it to die. There are possible chances of having intense pain once the decay meets the pulp.
Dr Andre Eliasian 