How Is a Pulp Test Performed on a Tooth With a Crown?

Pulp testing helps dentists determine if the living tissue, or pulp, within a tooth is still vital. Some pulp testing methods require direct access to the tooth's surface, so teeth encased in full crowns can be more difficult to evaluate than exposed teeth.

Significance

• Dead pulp can cause pus to build up at the tooth's root tip in the jawbone, forming an abscess. When testing of a damaged tooth indicates its pulp is no longer living, dentists perform root canal therapy to remove the dead tissue and prevent abscess.

Procedures

• Tanglin Dental Care lists electronic pulp tests and cold tests as methods to evaluate teeth with full crowns. Both tests rely on the premise that vital pulp responds to physical stimuli and dead pulp does not. EPT uses electric current, and cold testing uses low temperature to stimulate the pulp and determine the presence or absence of tooth sensation.

Expert Insight

• If a dentist can find an area of exposed tooth at the crown margin, she can pulp-test a crowned tooth electronically. Some EPT devices have adapters with fine tips that allow contact with narrow areas of an exposed tooth. Cold pulp-testing does not require direct access to the tooth beneath the crown because the materials from which crowns are made conduct cold in a manner comparable to natural tooth enamel.