What are some alternatives to a pulpotomy?

Extraction: Pulpotomies are usually done on primary (baby) teeth when decay has reached the pulp (nerve) of the tooth, to preserve the tooth in order to hold the space to allow room for the adult teeth to erupt. The only alternative is extraction of the tooth, in which case an appliance should be made to hold the space and keep the adjacent teeth from shifting.

Treatment choices: A pulpotomy is done in a baby tooth when there is a something wrong such as a large cavity that has compromised the nerve in the pulp chamber. If you want to save the tooth until the adult tooth comes in, there is no other choice. Otherwise, you can have the tooth extracted and have a space maintainer placed if it is a back tooth. Front teeth can often be left out with no space maintainer.