Pulpotomy in simple terms is the removal of the pulp of a tooth. Pulpotomy is also referred to as Partial Coronal Pulpectomy. Pulp is the center part of the tooth which is mad up of cells and living soft tissue. So Pulpotomy is done when the pulp is either affected or infected. The affected part of the pulp (coronal portion) is removed so that the remaining part continues to function normally.
This procedure becomes necessary when the tooth decay penetrates the enamel (crown of the tooth) and goes to the other layer of the tooth which is called the dentin. When the decay reaches the pulp it spreads through out the nerves which are still alive thus causing a lot of discomfort and pain to the person. Pulpotomy can also be done when one is injured or suffers some form of trauma and the pulp is exposed. When Pulpotomy is done well it relieves the pain being experienced, reduces the sensitivity of the tooth and also rescues the surrounding tissues around the tooth from a complete break down.
Pulpotomy can not be performed on a loose tooth or when there is swelling around the tooth. The dentist determines if he will do the Pulpotomy when he examines the tooth and finds that the decay or the injury on the tooth is not that severe and the nerves in the root of the tooth can still be rescued from death.
If one is to undergo Pulpotomy they have to take X-ray pictures so that the position of the tooth is determined, and the infections on the tooth are identified. Pulpotomy is done when a person/ the patient is sedated so that the patient can be calm through the whole procedure. The area near the tooth being worked on is totally numbed.
When the procedure is being conducted on a decayed tooth, the decay is first removed. After removing the decay the affected pulp is then removed and the area is then sealed with medicine. Mostly the medicine used is formocresol. This medicine has a mummifying effect on the remaining pulp and also is used to sterilize the inside of the tooth the procedure is being conducted on. Once the tooth has been medicated, after a few minutes its time to close it up and this is done by using a temporal filling. If the procedure is being conducted on a child then the dentist places a steel crown on the tooth but if being performed on an adult then the dentist places a porcelain crown.
Pulpotomy is very successful although in minor cases the medicines used during the procedure can cause irritation to the tissues outside the viable pulp which will in turn give a burning effect to the area around the tooth. If the nerves in the tooth are affected then it will mean that whole procedure was a fail because the aim of Pulpotomy is to salvage the pulp which is not affected yet to avoid the death of the nerves.
A video demonstration –
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