Types of Tooth Resorption, and What it Means for Your Treatment

Remember losing your baby teeth and having adult teeth replace them? You might not realize that this is an example of tooth resorption. That’s a natural type that happens — but other types aren’t and require treatment to save the affected tooth.

What happens with this condition? Your inner or outer tooth structure dissolves and becomes absorbed due to injuries, infections, or unknown causes in some cases. Without treatment, you stand a good chance of losing your tooth. But timely care with root canals or other treatments can help save it!

Types of Tooth Resorption

Several types and subtypes can occur, including:

• External cervical (external surface, external inflammatory root, ankylosis, and replacement)
• Internal (internal inflammatory or root canal internal replacement)
• External or apical
• Combined internal/external
• Transient apical breakdown

But some of these are more common than others. Let’s explore a few of the main types that occur and how this condition affects your treatment options.

External Cervical Resorption

Where It Happens

This type starts where your tooth and gums connect. You might have noticeable signs with this condition, such as holes in your teeth or reddish gums. It can also cause you to have irregular gaps between teeth. Other possible signs include teeth with a pink or dark discoloration and tooth pain.

Why It Happens

The cause of external cervical resorption isn’t always clear or known. But in most cases, dental injuries or previous orthodontic treatment you’ve had may cause it. You can also develop this type due to internal tooth whitening.

How It’s Treated

The right treatment depends on where resorption has occurred. If it has reached the pulp of your tooth, a root canal can treat it. This involves eliminating the infected tissue in the area to stop additional damage. In other cases, surgical procedures may be done to repair the tooth.

Internal Resorption

Where It Happens

This type develops in the area inside your tooth that’s filled with blood vessels and nerves. The pinkish area gets larger and gradually causes your tooth to dissolve from the inside. Internal resorption can be trickier to notice — it can even occur for years without any visible signs. Dental images might show that you have this condition.

Why It Happens

Infections in your teeth are common reasons for having this type of resorption. But it can also happen due to dental trauma that causes the inner part of your tooth to absorb the rest. You can develop dental infections from tooth and gum problems, like cavities or gum disease. Problems with fillings can also trigger infections.

How It’s Treated

Root canals can usually treat internal resorption successfully — if they’re caught in time. Finding this condition early improves your chance of being able to save your tooth instead of having a tooth extraction. But if you wait too long, you may need to have the affected tooth removed.

External or Apical Resorption

Where It Happens

This type happens at the roots of your teeth. In baby teeth, root resorption occurs normally to help these fall out, so that adult teeth can come in. But it can also happen in permanent teeth. How can you tell if you have it? Possible signs as it gets worse may include:

• Loosened teeth
• Increased sensitivity
• Swelling
• Discolored teeth

It can take awhile for any symptoms to show up, making it hard to know if resorption is present during the early stages.

Why It Happens

Apical or external resorption can occur if you have an abscess. Bacterial infections in a tooth can cause these pus-filled pockets to develop, putting you at risk of a more severe infection.

How It’s Treated

External or apical resorption responds well to root canal therapy in many cases. This treatment removes the infected tissue, easing infections and stopping resorption from continuing to happen. But if you leave it untreated, you can end up losing your tooth.

How Is Tooth Resorption Diagnosed?

If you have signs of this condition, we can take X-rays or do other imaging to look for it. Or you might find out that you have it from routine X-rays at cleanings or other visits, even if you haven’t been experiencing any symptoms.

How a Root Canal Helps Stop Tooth Resorption

Whether you have external cervical resorption in the pulp, internal resorption, or apical resorption, root canal therapy can ease symptoms — and prevent you from losing your tooth! Our endodontist takes out the infected matter, cleans the canals in your tooth, and fills and seals it up.

Visit Our Endodontist for Tooth Resorption Treatment

Do you have signs of resorption? At Largo Endodontics, we can check the affected tooth and recommend treatment, such as root canal therapy, to help save it.