Sara Kim
 |
 PEXOGENESIS is a good option for young patients with immature teeth with carious exposures or pulp exposures due to trauma. The goal is to remove the unhealthy pulp tissue which means that pulpal amputation can extend only a few millimeters or you may be doing a very deep pulpotomy depending on the situation. A small endodontic spoon or a round diamond bur can be used to remove the tissue. Traditionally, calcium hydroxide has been the material of choice but now MTA is also a viable material. If the pulpal removal is shallow, you can use a hard-setting material like Dycal, but if it is deep you can use calcium hydroxide powder carried in an amalgam carrier for easy application. If apexogenesis is successful, root will continue to form (oftentimes irregularly) and this will give additional support for the tooth. This procedure can take months to years depending on the case, and when this is done root canal treatment is normally recommended because canals can continue to calcify and make the canals nonnegotiable when endodontic treatment is required at a future time.
|
 |
| FIGURE 1: Pre-op radiograph. |
Figure 2: Post-op radiograph. |
July - October 2008
|
|
