Preserving the natural vitality of your tooth wherever possible.

Vital Pulp Therapy is a modern, minimally invasive treatment that can, in carefully selected cases, preserve the living tissue inside a tooth (the pulp) and provide an alternative to conventional Root Canal Treatment.

Rather than removing the entire pulp and carrying out Root Canal Treatment, Vital Pulp Therapy aims to preserve as much healthy pulp tissue as possible. Maintaining a healthy, living pulp helps the tooth retain its natural blood supply, sensation and protective functions and, where appropriate, can provide a more conservative alternative to traditional root canal treatment.

When might Vital Pulp Therapy be used?

The pulp can become inflamed or exposed as a result of deep decay, a fractured tooth, dental trauma or occasionally during the replacement of a deep restoration.

Historically, exposure of the pulp often meant that Root Canal Treatment was required. Advances in our understanding of how the dental pulp heals, alongside the development of modern bioactive materials, mean that in carefully selected cases it may now be possible to preserve the vitality of the tooth instead.

Vital Pulp Therapy can take several forms. Depending upon the condition of the tooth and the extent of inflammation, this may involve protecting a small pulp exposure or removing only the inflamed portion of the pulp – a procedure known as a partial or full pulpotomy – while leaving the healthy tissue within the roots intact.

What does treatment involve?

Careful assessment and case selection are extremely important. We will assess your symptoms, examine the tooth and usually take appropriate radiographs before discussing whether Vital Pulp Therapy is a suitable option.

Treatment is carried out under local anaesthetic and rubber dam isolation to keep the tooth clean and protected from bacteria. Any decay and damaged tissue is carefully removed and the health of the remaining pulp assessed. Where appropriate, a modern biocompatible material is then placed over the pulp to encourage healing before the tooth is carefully sealed and restored.

The procedure should be comfortable and, from a patient’s perspective, is often very similar to having a filling.

Can Vital Pulp Therapy always prevent Root Canal Treatment?

Unfortunately not. The ability of the pulp to recover depends upon several factors, including the degree of inflammation or infection, the condition of the remaining tooth and our findings during treatment.

Sometimes it is only once the tooth has been opened and the pulp directly assessed that we can determine whether preserving it is appropriate. If the pulp appears too compromised to heal predictably, Root Canal Treatment may instead be recommended.

Even following successful Vital Pulp Therapy, the tooth will need to be reviewed periodically. A small proportion of teeth may develop further pulpal problems in the future and subsequently require Root Canal Treatment.

Our priority is always to preserve your natural tooth and as much healthy tooth tissue as we reasonably can.

Modern, minimally invasive endodontic care

Vital Pulp Therapy represents an exciting development in modern endodontics, allowing us to move away from automatically removing the entire pulp whenever it becomes exposed and instead consider whether some, or all, of this valuable living tissue can be preserved.

Dr Freddie Bingham completed his Diploma in Endodontics at the University of Chester and has a particular interest in minimally invasive endodontic treatment and preserving compromised teeth. He is also happy to accept referrals from dental colleagues for assessment and treatment.