parkell GentlePulse D624MS - Page 3

 • Thetoothtobetestedandtheadjacentteethmustbecleananddry.Interproximal
embrasures should be made free of any impacted food debris, saliva, water or plaque
byossingorscalingwithaninstrumentandair-dryingbeforetesting.
• It is often useful to electrically isolate the tooth being tested from its neighbors by
surrounding it with a clear mylar strip, such as those used in fabricating Class III
composite restorations.
• A dry cotton roll should be placed in the buccal vestibule to isolate the tooth from the lip
and cheek. A plastic mirror should be used to keep the tongue off of the tooth during testing.
• Metal or ceramic surfaces cannot be used as contact points for the pulp testing probes. Teeth
selectedforpulptestingmustpossessenoughexposedenamelordentintoallowtheprobeto
make contact without contacting the gingiva or a metal restoration. In certain cases, this may
necessitatetheuseofthePrecisionProbeSet(availableseparately).
 • Fullyinstructthepatientastowhatyouwillbedoingsotheyarenotsurprisedduringthetest.
Itmaybehelpfultoavoidtheuseoftheword“pain”inyourinstructions.
PULP TESTING PROCEDURE
1) AlwaysusetheLipClipandwiretoensureacompleteelectricalcircuit.
2) Selecttheappropriatemetalprobeandinsertitintotheopenendofthepowerunit(8).
3) Toensuregoodelectricalcontactbetweentheprobeandthetooth,applyasmallamountof
toothpastetotheexposedtipofthemetalprobe.
4) Holdtheunitinyourhandsothattheoutputcontrolknob(9)isincloseproximitytoyour
thumb.Theindicatorlight(10)shouldbevisibletoyou.Theprobemayberotatedtoany
convenient angle.
5) Clicktheoutputcontrolknob(9)tothe“ON”positionbyturningitclockwisetoactivatethe
unit.Theindicatorlight(10)willbegintoblinkcontinuously,indicatingthattheGentlePulse
stimulus is ready to be applied to the tooth.
6) Setthedialtothelowestsetting,andapplytheprobetiptothemiddleofthelabialor
lingual surface of the tooth being tested. Avoid soft tissue and restorations such as crowns,
amalgams or composites.
7) Thepowershouldbeslowlyincreasedbyturningtheoutputcontrolknobclockwiseuntilthe
patientbecomesawareofthestimulus.Attherstsignofaresponse,removetheprobefrom
the tooth and make a note of the reading on the dial.
8) Asacheckofthereadingobtained,acorrespondingcontroltoothinthesamearchshould
be tested for comparison, if possible. Molars should be matched to molars, premolars to
premolars, cuspids to cuspids, and incisors to incisors. If this is not possible because teeth
are absent, endodontically treated, or have full coverage restorations, a similar tooth in the
opposite arch is always a better control than no control at all.
9) Topreservethebattery,thedeviceshouldbeturnedoffimmediatelyafterusebyrotatingthe
controlknobcounter-clockwiseuntilaclickisheard.Shouldtheoperatorforgettoturnthe
poweroff,theinstrumentwillshutitselfoffafter5-6minutes.Toreactivatethedeviceafteran
automatic shut off, simply turn off the device and turn it on again.
CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS
There are many factors that can affect the response of teeth to electric pulp testing. Among
these are patient age and gender, pain threshold, previous pain history, tooth trauma, presence
ofpathology,useofprescriptionandnon-prescriptionmedications,orillicitdruguse.Ingeneral,
thick teeth like molars require a greater stimulus than anterior teeth. Additionally, enamel will
require a greater stimulus than dentin or cementum.
Itisimpossibletopreparea“tableofnormalvalues”forpulptesterreadingsbecause
THEREISNO“NORMAL”INPULPTESTING.Rather,theclinicianshouldperform
sequentialcomparisonsbetweenthesubjecttoothandthecontroltoothatconsecutiveofce
visits, observing how the readings are changing as time progresses. By utilizing electric pulp