Patient: My last wisdom tooth on the lower left side was filled with a small hole the size of a grain of rice six years ago, and it did not hurt the nerve at that time, but was only repaired in time to better protect the tooth. On January 4, 2009, I went to a hospital and the doctor cleaned the corroded part of my tooth and drilled the original filling to the end, exposing the nerve, and the doctor said he had to kill the nerve! So anesthesia was administered and the nerve was killed! After I went home, I felt very sad, why I had a good tooth, and no pain to the hospital became a “dead tooth”! I want to ask Director Hou, is there any remedy for my tooth? Is it possible to save my tooth? I have 9 days until my next visit, I hope Director Hou can give me advice as soon as possible, I really want to save this tooth! Hou Benxiang, Department of Endodontics, Beijing Stomatological Hospital: Hello, the situation you described may be frequently encountered by other patients. The original tooth is not painful, but the doctor wants to “kill the nerve” when filling the tooth, the so-called “live teeth” become “dead teeth”. In fact, there are two misunderstandings here, one is that the tooth is not painful does not mean the degree of bad tooth is light. Caries is a kind of chronic destructive disease, generally early is not painful, some people are more tolerant to pain, or tooth reaction is not sensitive, the patient has no obvious reaction when the hard tissue of the tooth is destroyed greatly, even the pulp necrosis has not appeared pain. The doctor examines the decayed part in the morning and finds that the pulp has been exposed, at which time the pulp (dental nerve) must be removed. The second is the misconception that the “dead tooth” is useless after the nerve is removed. In fact, the pulp is removed and the affected tooth can function as well, and if the crown is damaged, it can be restored with a “full crown”, which has the same life span as a natural tooth. For permanent teeth (adults), the chances of recovering from pulp lesions are very small, and it is currently recommended to remove the pulp to avoid further expansion of pulp inflammation, which may lead to apical lesions. In summary, you do not need to worry too much, your tooth can be “saved” after a perfect root canal treatment.