When complete caries removal will lead to pulp exposure, partial caries removal may be considered as an alternative treatment option. Various techniques can be used in such situations to preserve pulp vitality. Incomplete removal of carious dentin and subsequent carious dentin sealing has been found to result in the arrest of carious lesions in deciduous and permanent teeth. This case report documents the treatment of a young patient who presented with a mandibular left first molar that exhibited active coronal caries that had reached the apical third of the dentin. With a high risk of pulp exposure, the case demonstrates the use of conservative procedures that produced effective results in preserving pulp vitality.
Learning Objectives:
Preserve vital pulp in an asymptomatic deep carious lesion.
Apply various dental materials in clinical dentistry.
Explain why over-etching the dentin leads to postoperative sensitivity.