Reviewed by: Dr. Kristen Dority
Pulp is an organ made up of blood vessels, nerves, and cellular elements including odontoblasts that form dentin. The pulp that lies below the dentin of the teeth is normally in the central core of the tooth. Pulp is an organ made up of blood vessels, nerves, and cellular elements including odontoblasts that form dentin.
A tooth is born from an embryonic tissue bud. This tissue then lays down around itself the calcified tissues of the teeth, dentin and enamel. Once the tooth is formed, the inside tissue or the pulp, consisting of blood vessels, nerves, and specialized cells lives on.
When decay penetrates through to the pulp, the life of the tooth is endangered. Sensitivity to hot and cold can indicate compromised pulp tissue. Dentists sometimes use a vitalmeter, or instrument with high and low frequencies designed to determine the degree of vitality in the pulp tissue.
Inflammation and infection in the pulp, either with or without the formation of an abscess, can lead to necrosis or the death of this soft tissue. When the pulp tissue of a tooth has undergone complete degeneration or has been removed, the tooth is termed pulpless or non-vital.
