Nerves are remarkable parts of the body. They can send and receive signals and play an integral role in helping your body to move, doing everything from taking a breath to typing a letter. But if that's the role of the nerves, what's the point of having them in teeth that don't move? Read on to find out why they're there.
Where The Nerves Are
The first thing that's important to understand is that the entire tooth isn't filled with nerves. While there are nerves in it, those nerves don't extend to the surface area of the tooth, where the dental enamel is. The nerves are only located deeper on the inside of the tooth in an area called the pulp.
Why They're There
Nerves don't exist solely to help the body move around. They're also there to send signals of touch, pain, heat, cold, and more.
If you tap on one of your teeth you'll likely feel it. That's the work of your nerves. The vibration of your touch travels through the tooth to where the nerve is, and then the signal is picked up and transferred to your brain. But why have them there at all? It's to help protect your teeth.
Like any other part of the body, the nerves are there to send emergency signals when a part of the body is exposed to too much heat, cold, or injury. It serves as a sort of like a check engine light for your body. While your teeth are tough, that doesn't mean that they're invulnerable, and that's why you need to have nerves in them. Without those nerves, you wouldn't know if you were in danger of hurting the interior pulp of your tooth if you bit into something hot, or you'd have no clue as a cavity gradually worked its way into your tooth.
What To Do If Your Teeth Hurt
Teeth should never hurt naturally. If one does hurt, it's a sign that something has gone wrong. Unfortunately, it's not easy to tell what that might be all on your own, so it's best to see a dentist and ask for help. Your dentist will be able to tell what's going on with an in-depth visual examination as well as using X-rays to scan the interior of your teeth. With these tools at their disposal, they should be able to find out why your teeth hurt in no time.
Teeth need nerves just like every other part of your body does. While it may be a nuisance for you sometimes, the benefits outweigh the downsides.
To learn more, contact a dental care clinic.