Mental and emotional causes | Causes of root canal inflammation

Mental and emotional causes

A person’s mental state and especially the stress component are related to dental health. Stress is poison for the human body and, in addition to psychological, mental and psychosocial problems, it also has a negative effect on the dental status. It is not uncommon for people to wake up in the morning, be totally muscularly tense, have jaw cracking or insane headaches from pressing and grinding at night.

It is exactly this processing of stress during sleep or during the day that can promote the development of a dental root inflammation. The overloading of the entire periodontium can lead to inflammatory processes through constant irritation.This cranio-mandibular dysfunction (CMD for short) upsets the complete balance of dental health. Pressing and grinding exerts a mechanical pressure that can irritate or even traumatize the tooth to such an extent that the nerve in the pulp dies off. Bacteria can now migrate beyond the tip of the root and cause dental root inflammation. However, not only local inflammation favors the development of a dental root inflammation, but also a generalized inflammation of the gums, periodontitis, can be caused by the incorrect exposure.

Risk factors

Since the causes of dental root inflammation are very diverse, we are investigating whether there are special risk groups that develop this disease more frequently than others. Patients who suffer from chronic, aggressive periodontitis have a higher risk of developing inflammation of the tooth root. This type of periodontitis can be inherited and put a strain on the offspring.

Accordingly, the periodontal apparatus is constantly exposed to a bacterial environment and the generalized inflammatory processes can spread to individual tooth roots. Systemic diseases, which have been proven to promote the development of caries, represent a further risk factor. These include, for example, diabetes mellitus (diabetes).

The condition of the tooth enamel also affects the development of inflammatory processes. If the enamel structure is riddled with micro grooves, bacteria have an easier and faster chance to reach the pulp and inflame the nerve. Special genetic diseases, such as Amelogenesis imperfecta, where the enamel layer is only partially, incorrectly or not at all present, also represent a risk factor. These patients have been shown to be particularly susceptible to caries because the protective enamel layer is not present.