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Is it a valid idea that the nerve may protect itself with tertiary (new) Dentin deposits?

dentin dental

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#1 ukw

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Posted 01 April 2018 - 09:45 PM


There is a site which shows how people's teeth change over time. Generally, one big age-related change is that the nerve (pulp) gets smaller. This occurs due to deposits of tertiary dentin which is the body's defense against cavities, but also secondary dentin which is constant post-eruption dentin.

 

http://rickwilsondmd...s-with-age.html

 

If you scroll through that site, the first picture shows a young 9-year-old whose teeth have huge nerve pulps. The next shows a 28-year-old with smaller pulps. Finally, by the geriatric age 84 (the third picture) nerve pulps hardly exist -- they're almost invisible, because the teeth have become calcified.

 

The article claims that's because the body deposits secondary (post-eruption) dentin as well as tertiary (anti-cavity) dentin throughout our lives.

 

"There is another kind of dentin called tertiary dentin or reparative dentin.  This is dentin that is formed a bit faster again, in response to external stimulation like cavities or fractures.  Even injuries that do not crack teeth cause damage, as they push teeth around in their sockets and injure the supporting bone and ligament.  All of these processes stimulate the formation of tertiary dentin.

The idea behind tertiary dentin from the body's point of view is that it walls off the dental pulp from the source of the injury. "

 

...

The more fillings, injuries, or gum disease that a tooth faces, the more tertiary dentin gets deposited.  Couple that with the secondary dentin from normal aging, like in this 84-year-old, and we see pulps- or, to toss up a non-sequitur, we don't see pulps -- that look like this"

 

This got me thinking: First of all, is it true that if someone's filled cavity is close to the nerve, over time it will become less close to the nerve? Is it generally true that nerve-related issues are less of an issue for older people? Secondly, for "real" cavities, is it possible to encourage the process of dentin deposits? More specifically: Has anyone with a true deep cavity been able to demonstrate that it has shifted further away from the nerve due to protective dentin deposits?

 

 


Edited by ukw, 01 April 2018 - 09:47 PM.

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