Published September 2026
- A deep cavity in a baby tooth has reached the nerve
- Numbed. The decay and the top of the nerve are removed
- The root part of the nerve stays. A soothing medicine goes on top
- The tooth is sealed
- A steel cap usually goes over it in the same visit
Who usually does it
general dentist. Done in general and pediatric offices.
One question worth asking
How will we know whether this worked, and by when?
Emergency nerve removal for pain
D3221. Opens the tooth and removes the nerve to stop pain, with the full root canal done at a later visit.
These are smaller nerve treatments that try to avoid a full root canal. A nerve cover (pulp cap) places a protective medicine over a nerve that was exposed or nearly exposed by a deep cavity. Partial nerve removal (pulpotomy) takes out only the top part of the nerve, common in baby teeth and as an emergency step in adult teeth.
A nerve cover places a protective medicine directly on a nerve that deep decay has exposed or nearly exposed, then seals the tooth over it. Partial nerve removal goes a step further and takes out only the top of the nerve, leaving the part inside the roots. Both are attempts to keep a full root canal off the table, and both are common in baby teeth. Most plans file this as Basic. What they actually pay varies by plan.
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