Hello,
Three days ago I went to the dentist, who removed caries from an upper tooth 6 with a drill, but during drilling he perforated (exposed) the pulp. He disinfected the exposed area, applied some medication and closed it with a temporary white filling. Since then, at least once every day I get severe pain in the tooth, which slowly subsides over a few minutes, while at this moment I have a mild continuous pain. The tooth is also sensitive and gives a sharp sensation on contact with hot/cold.
I would like to know how the death of the pulp may now progress, because I have a 14-day holiday planned from tomorrow and during that time I will not be able to see a dentist. I am worried about how quickly things may develop if the pulp dies, and how long there will still be time to clean out the dead pulp and fill the canals with an artificial material.
Thank you very much for your answers and kind regards!
Dentist Tomaž Rotar answers:
Dear Sir/Madam!
The decision regarding further treatment in the event of minimal pulp exposure is the responsibility of the treating dentist, who decides on the basis of several factors (pre-existing pain, size of the carious process, size of the opening into the pulp...). In younger patients we may choose the procedure you describe (direct pulp capping), hoping that the tooth will retain its vitality and that after a certain period (possibly a few months) it can be conventionally restored with a filling, crown... If the pulp dies after the described procedure (the process may or may not be accompanied by pain), the pulp must be removed (the sooner the better) and the root canals filled with an appropriate material. The time periods you mention are entirely acceptable with this type of treatment.
Have a nice day!