Uses, side effects and procedure

A pulpotomy is a dental procedure that can be performed on both adults and children, but is most commonly used to treat infected baby (primary) teeth in children. This type of infection occurs when tooth decay reaches the pulp inside the tooth. During a pulpotomy, the pulp of the tooth at the crown (the part of the tooth that is visible) is removed, and the pulp in the root canal is left intact.

Purpose of pulpotomy

If your child complains of pain when cold, hot or sweet things touch their tooth or teeth, it may mean they have pulpitis. Pulpitis is inflammation of the pulp and its main cause is untreated cavities (caries). This tooth sensitivity is usually the first sign that your child may have tooth decay.

The health care provider will recommend that your child undergo a pulpotomy if, during the dental examination, your child is found to have tooth decay (cavities) that has affected the pulp in the crown.

It is also done when the cavity is so close to the pulp in the crown that removing the cavity will expose the pulp. This examination can be done either by physical examination of the tooth or by x-ray.

If your child is found to have irreversible pulpitis caused by tooth decay – where the pulp in the tooth is severely damaged – then a pulpotomy will not be performed. Instead, your child will have to undergo a pulpectomy or tooth extraction.

Although much less common, a pulpotomy may also be done when your child has suffered serious physical trauma to the tooth. A pulpotomy is usually done so that the tooth and the pulp at the root of the tooth can be preserved.

You may be wondering why your child’s impacted tooth isn’t just removed, since it’s a primary tooth that will eventually be replaced by a permanent one. The reason is that the primary teeth help to ensure that the permanent space will line up properly and have enough room for them to grow when they start to grow.

Literally, “pulpotomy” translates to “cutting the pulp”. However, in the medical community, pulpotomy is used to refer to the entire procedure, including filling the space from which the pulp was removed with special medication.

Pulpotomy should not be confused with pulpectomy. The latter is performed when your child’s tooth decay has extended beyond the pulp at the crown to the pulp at the root of the tooth (root pulp).,,

Risks and contraindications

Pulpotomy is a very safe procedure and there are no serious risks associated with it. Pulpotomy should not be performed if the pulp in the root (the root pulp) is not vital. This means that the pulp there should not be infected and should still be healthy at the time of the procedure.

Before the Process

Here is how to prepare:

• Synchronization: A pulpotomy can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, and in some cases, a little longer.
• Location: The procedure will be done at the dentist’s office.
• what to wear: Since this is a dental procedure, your child can wear whatever clothes they feel most comfortable.
• What should I bring?: If your child has one, you can bring along an item that will surely comfort them after the procedure.

During the process

At least one parent will be able to stay with the child during the procedure.

Throughout the Process

The area around the tooth will be numbed with a local anesthetic and then a local anesthetic will be injected. Alternatively, your child may be sedated. The option chosen is usually at the discretion of the health care provider.

The dentist will single out the tooth to be treated and remove any decay on or around the teeth to prevent infection of the pulp. The pulp chamber will then be opened by drilling through the enamel and dentin.

Once the pulp roof is punctured, it will bleed. This shows that the pulp is still healthy. If the pulp chamber is filled with pus or is empty and dry, then the dentist cannot continue the pulpotomy. Then they have to either have a pulpectomy or a tooth extraction.

The crown pulp will then be removed/excavated. When this is done, wet swabs or pellets will be used to stop the bleeding and clean the area. Ideally, this bleeding should stop within a minute or two, or over five. Different dentists have their own time limits.

If the bleeding does not stop after this time, then it indicates that the pulp in the root is no longer healthy and has probably been affected by tooth decay. Thus, a pulpectomy or tooth extraction should be performed.

Once the bleeding stops, then the root pulp (what can be seen of it) is treated and covered with special medication. This medication is usually either formocresol, ferrous sulfate, or mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA).

After this is done, the pulp chamber of the tooth is sealed with zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) or some other base. The tooth is then restored. This is usually done with a stainless steel crown.

Post-Process

Your child may experience pain and/or swelling after the procedure. Your healthcare provider will likely prescribe pain medication to help with this.

After the Process

Your health care provider will likely give you instructions about the types and temperatures of foods your child can eat for the days immediately following the procedure. Your health care provider will likely instruct your child to avoid eating candy or other sticky foods until the stainless steel crown used to restore the teeth falls out on its own.

Other Considerations

In order to prevent other teeth from decaying, it is important to adopt an excellent oral care routine for your child. You should ask your dentist what he or she recommends as an oral care routine. You should also make sure to take your child for regularly scheduled dental checkups.

Pneumatotomy of adults

Adult pulpotomy is done in basically the same way as pulpotomy for baby teeth. However, they are not performed very often as root canals are preferred by dentists for treating adult permanent teeth.,,

A word from Verywell

It’s natural to feel anxious whenever your child is about to undergo any medical procedure. However, rest assured that pulpotomy is practically a risk-free procedure. Your child will be up and active once the anesthesia or sedation used during the procedure wears off. If you have any questions or concerns, remember that it’s important to discuss them with your dentist, who should be able to answer them to make you more comfortable with the idea of ​​the procedure.