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Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
About me
Joined the Communist Party of China, graduated from Jiamusi University in 2007 with a Bachelor's degree in Stomatology. Continued to pursue a Master's degree in Stomatology at Jiamusi University in the same year, graduating in 2010. Engaged in scientific research, published nearly ten articles from 2010 to the present, participated in the completion of four projects sponsored by the Provincial Health Department, of which one has been completed and three are in progress. Contributed to one book, and taught undergraduate courses in pediatric dentistry and preventive dentistry. Recognized as an outstanding experimental teacher at Jiamusi University in 2015.
Proficient in diseases
Children's dental caries, pulpitis, periapical disease, tooth trauma, etc., including prevention of childhood milk tooth caries and sealant application on permanent molars.
Voices
Do you need to get your teeth cleaned for periodontitis?
Periodontitis generally develops from gingivitis and is caused by irritation from dental calculus, soft deposits or dental plaque around the gums, leading to bleeding gums or bleeding when eating, as well as the further infection by bacteria causing swollen, suppurating gums and the formation of periodontal pockets. Severe cases may involve the loss of alveolar bone. Therefore, the basic treatment for periodontitis is dental cleaning, which involves removing irritants around the teeth, followed by rinsing and medicating to improve the inflammatory condition. If symptoms do not improve effectively after basic dental cleaning treatment, further treatments such as subgingival scaling to remove calculus under the gums or root planing may be necessary. If the absorption of the alveolar bone is severe, alveolar bone grafting may also be considered.
How is periodontitis caused?
Periodontitis is a destructive inflammatory condition of the periodontal supporting tissues. The primary initiating factor of periodontitis is dental plaque, which occurs due to not brushing or rinsing promptly after eating. Over time, soft deposits accumulate around the teeth, which can calcify into tartar. The tartar contains a large amount of biofilm, such as the dental plaque biofilm, which can damage and cause bleeding or congestion in the gingival tissues, manifesting as bleeding when brushing teeth or eating. If gingivitis is not treated in time, it may lead to periodontitis. Periodontitis is also related to other systemic factors, such as genetic factors or smoking, mental stress, etc. Sometimes, discoloration of the tooth surfaces or food impaction can also cause periodontitis.
Late-stage consequences of pulpitis
Pulpitis is a severe pain manifestation caused by bacterial infection of the dental pulp tissue. If pulpitis is not treated in a timely manner, and it develops to a late stage, it might intensify the pain. In the early stages, the pain may only occur when eating or due to temperature sensitivity. In the later stages of pulpitis, spontaneous pain may occur, meaning that the teeth may hurt without any external stimuli, or symptoms of nighttime pain might appear, often causing pain at night or pain that can awaken someone from sleep. In its late stages, pulpitis can also develop into pus formation in the pulp tissue, also known as suppurative pulpitis, characterized by pain relief with cold and exacerbation with heat, meaning that cold water can relieve the pain, while hot water can worsen it.
Can a tooth with pulpitis be extracted?
Pulpitis should not be treated with tooth extraction. Pulpitis is a type of acute pain caused by bacterial infection of the tooth nerve. During an episode of pulpitis, the pain can be very severe, including dull pain, throbbing pain, and sharp pain. Sometimes cold, hot, sour, or sweet substances can stimulate the tooth nerve, leading to increased nerve pain. Sometimes pulpitis can also radiate to the temporal region, causing headaches or ear pain, and it can sometimes cause pain in both upper and lower teeth and all the teeth. Pulpitis occurs when the dental nerve has become pus-filled due to inflammation. If teeth are extracted rashly, it may lead to the spread of inflammation, causing bacteremia or sepsis. Tooth extraction is not advisable for pulpitis, but root canal treatment can be performed on the affected tooth to try to preserve it after the treatment.
How to relieve the pain of pulpitis?
The pain caused by pulpitis can be alleviated through medication or root canal treatment. Pulpitis, a severe pain resulting from bacterial infection of the dental nerve, can sometimes radiate to the temporal area, causing ear pain or headaches. If not treated promptly, oral pain relief medications can be used for temporary relief; however, these drugs only serve as an adjunctive therapy and do not fundamentally resolve the tooth pain. The definitive solution requires root canal treatment, which relieves the pressure within the pulp chamber, alleviating the pain of pulpitis. After alleviation, further dental treatment is necessary. If the teeth are not treated following relief, further infection might lead to apical periodontitis, and in severe cases, can result in facial cellulitis, also known as a space infection.
Is periodontitis serious?
Periodontitis is a development of gingivitis. To determine the severity of periodontitis, an X-ray of the teeth is required to check for pathological bone resorption in the alveolar bone. If the symptoms are limited to the gingival tissue, such as simple gingival bleeding, brushing bleeding, gingival swelling, or pus discharge, it can be managed by dental cleaning or ultrasonic scaling, followed by medicated irrigation around the gums to improve the inflammation. If subgingival calculus is present, it might also be addressed with scaling or root planing to remove the calculus. If there is significant alveolar bone resorption due to severe periodontitis, the condition is serious and may require guided bone regeneration surgery. In severe cases, tooth extraction may be necessary.
How to treat children with dental caries?
To treat cavities in children, first, the extent of tooth decay needs to be assessed. If the decay is mild, the decayed part can be removed and directly filled. If the decay is severe enough to inflame the dental nerve, an X-ray of the tooth is required. If it is a deciduous tooth that is about to fall out soon and is not worth saving, treatment might be unnecessary. However, if the tooth root has not been absorbed and the permanent tooth will take a long time to erupt, root canal treatment can be considered. In cases where a young permanent molar is decayed and the nerve is infected, a vital pulpotomy should be performed to preserve the living pulp and promote further development of the tooth root.
How is pulpitis caused?
Pulpitis is caused by bacterial infection. The oral cavity is an environment with bacteria, and if teeth are not brushed promptly after eating, bacteria can break down food into lactic acid, leading to demineralization of the teeth. This further infection causes tooth decay and the formation of cavities. In addition to these cariogenic factors, pulpitis may also be due to periodontitis or the destruction of periodontal supporting tissues, leading to a retrograde infection. There are also large amounts of bacteria in the periodontal pocket. If the periodontal pocket is deep enough to reach the root apex, it may sometimes cause retrograde apical periodontitis. Moreover, if the teeth are malformed and are accidentally bitten off or broken during the eruption process, this can also cause inflammation of the dental nerve, which is pulpitis.
Can tooth decay be cured?
Cavities are a type of destructive dental hard tissue disease caused by bacterial infections and are also a chronic progressive infectious disease. Cavities can only improve through early and effective intervention and treatment; otherwise, the condition may develop further, leading to pulpitis or apical periodontitis. Severe cases can also cause systemic symptoms such as space infections, and some may lead to bacteremia or sepsis. In the early stages of development, cavities have no clinical symptoms. At this stage, filling the cavity is painless. If the decay progresses to reach or approach the dental nerve, filling the cavity can then cause widespread pain. If it reaches the dental nerve, it cannot be directly filled in one go; it requires dental treatment for improvement.
Can teeth be extracted with periodontitis?
Teeth should not be extracted during a periodontitis flare-up, as it may involve symptoms like swollen gums, pus discharge, or the presence of inflammatory processes in the periodontium. Extracting teeth during such a flare-up could lead to the systemic spread of the inflammation, potentially causing severe conditions such as bacteremia or sepsis, and even life-threatening situations. Periodontitis involves the resorption of the supporting periodontal tissues. If periodontitis can be managed by cleaning the teeth to remove local irritants, or through guided bone regeneration, and if the teeth can be preserved, it is generally best to avoid extractions. Teeth that can be preserved should be retained. However, if the periodontitis has caused severe lesions and the teeth cannot be preserved, showing signs of looseness or are even on the verge of falling out, extraction should only be considered after the inflammation is under control.