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Diagnoses

Irreversible pulpitis

Common treatment options

In most dental situations, you have the time to evaluate your treatment choices. No treatment is always an option, but may not be in your best interest. If you elect to be treated, there is often more than one way to proceed. Common treatment options for this diagnosis are listed on this page.

Irreversible pulpitis generally requires endodontic (root canal) treatment to alleviate symptoms and stop the inflammation. An X-ray image is generally exposed to evaluate the tooth root and surrounding bone for signs of pathology (disease process). Frequently there will also be infection present, which is also taken care of through endodontic treatment.

Sometimes it is necessary to localize the infection with antibiotic treatment before endodontic treatment can comfortably be performed. If the tooth is diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis, and endodontic treatment is not an option, the tooth may need to be removed.

More information on dental procedures

Endodontic treatment
Dental procedure image: Endodontic treatment
Endodontic treatment is a dental procedure in which inflamed, infected, or necrotic (dead) nerve and blood vessel tissues are removed from a tooth to alleviate pain and swelling...
Radiographs
Dental procedure image: Radiographs (X-rays)
Radiographs, ("X-rays") are used by dental health professionals to evaluate hard tissue (teeth and bones) for signs of disease process or abnormalities...
Simple extractions
Dental procedure image: Simple extractions
Simple (or "closed") extraction is a tooth removal procedure in which no soft tissue incision is made, and the tooth is not divided into sections to remove it...
Surgical extractions
Dental procedure image: Surgical extractions
Surgical extraction is a tooth removal procedure in which surgical access is required to completely remove a tooth...