Pulp Therapy
A small cavity can be a gateway to pulpal infection
Teeth with large cavities or abscess (swollen gums due to pus accumulation) are usually responsible for painful episodes that can start after eating too hot or cold food/ chewing hard food or sometimes on its own. These teeth very often have to undergo pulp treatment / baby rct. These procedures may be completed in single or multiple visits depending on patient compliance and degree of infection.
How it helps
Removing baby teeth before its time can lead to functional collapse of the oral cavity. These baby teeth act as predecessor to the future permanent teeth. Untimely removal of these lead to loss of chewing, impaired speech and swallowing pattern, a greater chance of malpositioned permanent teeth.
Who needs it
- Teeth having cavity that is left untreated for too long which cannot be restored by filling.
- When tooth is sensitive to too cold or hot food.
- Multiple painful episodes over a period of time.
- Any tooth that has sustained dental trauma/ injury (tooth became mobile after injury).
Treatment Protocols
Pulpotomy
Pulpotomy refers to coronal removal of the vital pulp tissue. Sometimes the cavity is deep but the pulp is not infected or there is pinpoint exposure but infection is not there. In such cases it is recommended to remove the coronal pulp and save the root pulp. In this way the vitality of the tooth is maintained, the tooth lives on and sheds naturally.
Pulpectomy
Sometimes in case of abscessed tooth, total pulpal removal is recommended. In baby tooth, this is known as pulpectomy. The dental decay is completely removed and infected pulp tissue taken out completely. Canals are dininfected and root filling materials are used to fill the pulp chamber and canal resorbs as the tooth melts into shedding.
