It has been the same old drill for years, painful trips to the dentist in order to save a tooth with a root canal but that technique is getting a makeover with a special procedure which is referred to as direct pulp capping. Dentists are now able to clean out the soft, infected- decaying tooth and as long as the nerve is still alive dentist are able to use the new bonding technology in order to seal right over the open end of the nerve.



The bonding material is similar to the liquid plastic used in contact lenses. This material seals the opening so well that it forms a hermetic seal and the nerve simply can't tell the difference of whether it is being covered by tooth or by bonding material.

These are obviously good news to people who have had root canals performed the old way where the pulp and nerves need to be extracted from the canals within the tooth. Most of the patients who have had a root can no procedure done to them described the process as uncomfortable, time-consuming and somewhat of a hassle because a patient needs to visit the dentist several times to ensure that the procedure went well and the structure is free of bacteria that may cause inflammation and additional bleeding.

According to patients who have opted to use this new method, the procedure is less painful and more convenient. Candidates for this procedure are people who have had big silver or mercury fillings which are often referred to as the black fillings in their teeth and may be unaware that there has been a cavity growing under such filling for a very long time.

According to dentists direct pulp capping has been around for decades, the only problem is that 20 to 30 years in the past dentist did not count with effective sealants and bonding materials which would adhere to the tooth in and hermetic way so the success rate was close to 50% which just wasn't good enough for people who have gone through a root canal procedure. This new alternative can make the difference between being extremely reluctant of having a root canal procedure and feeling more comfortable knowing that there is less pain involved and that the new technique is extremely effective.