Apexification

Calcium hydroxide and mineral trioxide aggregate are materials used in this approach for immature teeth.

The treatment is used for a permanent tooth that has not completed root development and has nonvital pulp. The tooth’s restorability and possible alternatives are part of selecting pulp therapy.

Apexification treats a tooth with nonvital pulp, so the painful living pulp is not the tissue being preserved. The procedure itself is endodontic treatment rather than vital pulp therapy.

The main safety issue is the condition and strength of an immature tooth. Long-term calcium hydroxide has been associated with a possible increased risk of root fracture, while regenerative treatment is another option for some immature necrotic teeth.

Apexification is intended to create an apical barrier and retain the treated tooth. Published outcome work measures both survival of the treatment and survival of the tooth in the mouth.

The nonvital immature tooth is managed endodontically, then calcium hydroxide or mineral trioxide aggregate is used in the process of forming an apical barrier. The material comparison concerns success and barrier formation.

Recovery is followed by checking whether the treated tooth remains asymptomatic and retained in the mouth. Outcome studies use tooth retention and treatment survival as patient-centred measures.

Regenerative endodontic therapy is the principal alternative discussed for young immature necrotic teeth. Conventional root canal treatment is another nonvital pulp treatment for permanent teeth.

The choice is tied to pulp status, root maturity, restorability, and alternative treatment. The material may be calcium hydroxide or mineral trioxide aggregate, with no perceivable difference reported for success and apical barrier formation in the cited comparison.

Apexification is a nonvital pulp treatment for a permanent tooth, rather than a cosmetic procedure. Coverage therefore depends on the dental benefit terms that apply to endodontic treatment.