Table of contents:
- What is a pulpotomy?
- Why should you do a pulpotomy?
- What is the difference between pulpotomy and root canal treatment (root canal treatment)?
- How is the pulpotomy procedure performed?
- Can pulpotomy be avoided?
Maintaining dental health needs to be done regularly. Apart from simple methods such as brushing your teeth every day, it is recommended that you regularly check with your dentist. That way, you will find it easier to find out the health conditions of your mouth and teeth. Especially if you need dental care through medical procedures, such as scaling and others. However, do you already know about the pulpotomy procedure? If not, see the full review below.
What is a pulpotomy?
Pulpotomy is a dental procedure that involves removing the pulp tissue, the innermost part of the tooth structure where there are nerves and blood vessels, from the crown of the tooth. Meanwhile, the pulp tissue in the canal or root canal of the tooth is left.
This procedure is generally performed on the baby teeth or primary teeth of children to treat tooth decay that has extended to the pulp.
Why should you do a pulpotomy?
Pulpotomy is generally performed on children to save milk teeth that are badly damaged, such as cavities in children before they spread to other teeth. If treatment is performed on adults who have permanent teeth, pulpotomy is part of the root canal treatment procedure (root canal treatment).
The first baby teeth grow at the age of 8-12 months have a role to prepare space for permanent teeth to grow when the time comes. If a child loses or pulls a baby tooth too quickly, this can lead to several problems, including:
- Difficulty chewing,
- Developmental problems with speech, and
- Experiencing problems in the arrangement of permanent teeth, causing crooked teeth, and accumulation of teeth which can reduce the aesthetics and make it difficult for the teeth to be cleaned.
You should be vigilant if you experience complaints of pain when consuming cold, hot, or sweet food or drinks that touch the tooth area. This may indicate a condition of pulpitis or inflammation of the dental pulp which is generally caused by a cavity (caries) that is not treated properly.
Your dentist will recommend a pulpotomy if you or your child has caries affecting the pulp in the crown of the tooth. This dental treatment is also performed if the tooth decay is too close to the pulp on the tooth crown.
If tooth decay is not treated promptly, it will have the potential to expose the pulp tissue or expose it to further aggravation of the condition.
What is the difference between pulpotomy and root canal treatment (root canal treatment)?
As previously explained, pulpotomy is a procedure to remove the pulp from the crown of a tooth, while the root canal of a tooth that is in good health is left. This dental treatment is further performed by filling the cleaned cavities with a material that is safe for the body during the development of the baby teeth.
Apart from pulpotomy, in medical terms it is also known as a pulpectomy procedure. Cited in journals Pulpotomy vs. pulpectomy techniques, indications and complaints, pulpectomy refers to a medical dental procedure in which the pulp tissue is completely removed, starting from the crown, cavity, to the root canal of the tooth.
Root canal treatment procedures (root canal treatment) performed with pulpotomy and pulpectomy as initial procedures. In other words, these two things are part of the root canal treatment which is usually done on permanent teeth.
How is the pulpotomy procedure performed?
In contrast to root canal treatment which requires at least two visits, the pulpotomy procedure can be done in one visit to the dentist only. Children may feel scared when they have to face a doctor. Make him feel comfortable and always be with him, of course you have to do as a parent.
A pulpotomy performed by a dentist generally includes several steps of the procedure as follows.
- The doctor will perform a physical examination or x-ray of the teeth to see if there are signs of infection surrounding a particular tooth area and to see the shape of the root canals.
- If the condition of the teeth is known, the doctor will perform local anesthesia to numb the area around the teeth.
- First, tooth decay will be treated to prevent the infection from spreading to the teeth or other tissues. Further drilling is carried out to make a hole in the tooth that penetrates the enamel and dentin, until the pulp cavity is exposed.
- The healthy pulp tissue will bleed which will stop in about 1-2 minutes. If the bleeding does not stop immediately or the cavity is filled with pus and is dry, the pulpotomy procedure cannot be continued. The doctor will then consider performing a pulpectomy procedure, root canal treatment, and tooth extraction.
- After the bleeding has stopped, the removal of the pulp tissue at the crown of the tooth can be done.
- The cavity is then cleaned, disinfected, and prepared to be filled by special materials, such as formocresol, ferric sulfate, or mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) which is safe for the body.
- Finally, the tooth filling process is carried out using amalgam, resin, or zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) which is commonly used as fillings for milk teeth.
After following this procedure, children may experience pain, discomfort, and swelling around the tooth area. The doctor will recommend a suitable pain reliever medication to relieve the pain. Also avoid consuming candy or sticky food until the tooth filling is completely dry.
Can pulpotomy be avoided?
Of course you can avoid pulpotomy, both on yourself and in children. Always applying the habit of cleaning and maintaining healthy teeth is a preventive effort that can be done by following the following recommendations.
- Brushing your teeth properly and regularly, at least twice a day
- Drink water after meals to wash away any leftover sugar and acids
- Reduce consumption of sweet drinks that are high in sugar
- Routinely check your teeth to the doctor to find out tooth decay from an early age