Vital Pulp Therapy / Pulpotomy

What Is Vital Pulp Therapy?

The goal of vital pulp therapy (also called pulpotomy) is to save healthy dental pulp in the root of a tooth that has decay in the crown. In this procedure, Dr. Chidester removes diseased pulp from the crown of the tooth and fills the crown with medicated material to preserve the healthy pulp tissue in the roots. Vital pulp therapy is only recommended when there is no swelling or abscess around the tooth and it is not loose. It may be recommended for an injured baby tooth to save it from early extraction.

Why Not Place an Implant Instead of Trying to Save My Tooth?

It is always better (and less costly) to preserve as much of the natural tooth as possible. Implants are expensive and require a long recovery period, but pulpotomies and root canal treatment allow you to keep your tooth. A pulpotomy is preferable to a full root canal when the pulp in the root is healthy because the procedure is less invasive.

How Maplewood Family Dental Can Help

If you are experiencing tooth pain or have damaged a tooth in an accident, contact Maplewood Family Dental right away. Dr. Chidester will examine the tooth and determine what type of treatment will be the best option. Call us at (919) 438-3933 or send us an email.