parkell DIGITEST 3 Instrucciones De Uso página 4

Fig. 13
• Explain to the patient that the test should not
hurt, but that they are in control, and that they
can stop it at any time. Tell them that when they
first feel a change in the tooth being tested,
such as pulsing, buzzing, tingling or slight
discomfort, all they need to do is let go of the
metal Ground Clip and the test will be over.
• Insert Tooth Probe into the open end of the
Power Unit (Figure 13). To enhance electrical
conductivity and contact between tooth and the
probe, apply a small amount of toothpaste to the
metal tip.
• Metal or ceramic surfaces cannot be used
as touch points for the Tooth Probes. Teeth
selected for pulp testing must possess enough
exposed enamel or dentin to allow the probe to
make contact without touching the gingiva or
a metal restoration. In certain cases, this may
require the use of a Precision Probe (included).
VITALITY TESTING WITH THE
DIGITEST 3 PULP TESTER
1. To activate the unit, press and hold the start
button (Figure 14) for a half second, and
then release the button. When the button is
depressed, the display will show one row of
horizontal bars if the stimulus rate is set for
"SLOW", two rows for "MEDIUM", or three rows
for "FAST" (Figure 15).
2. If the desired stimulus rate mode was
displayed, the vitality test may proceed, as
detailed in Step 4.
3. If you wish to change the stimulus rate mode,
simply press the button and the mode will
change after the button is released.
NOTE: The unit will remember the last
stimulus rate mode setting, even if the
device is powered down.
4. Place the toothpaste-covered tip of the
Tooth Probe on the middle of the labial or
lingual surface of the tooth. Avoid soft tissue
and restorations such as crowns, amalgams
or composites.
Fig. 15
SLOW
Fig. 14
5. Depress and hold the button, and the display
number will rise, indicating that a gentle
stimulus is being automatically applied to the
tooth. When the patient indicates that they
feel the stimulus, they should let go of the
metal Ground Clip, which will stop the test
immediately. The display will freeze and hold
the final reading for approximately 14 seconds,
so it may be written down. The unit will then
automatically turn itself off.
6. The maximum stimulus reading is 64. Even
if there is no response at this level, there is
still the possibility that the tooth is vital. No
sensation at this number may simply indicate
that the tooth is non-responsive at the time
of the test, possibly from trauma. However,
since teeth have been known to recover from
traumatic injury many days after presenting with
a "non-vital" reading, follow up testing is almost
always indicated after any initial readings. If
this reading persists over several visits, it is
reasonable to assume that the tooth is non-
vital. However, this conclusion should always
be confirmed by another accepted endodontic
testing method.
7. To confirm the diagnosis, a corresponding
control tooth in the same arch should be tested.
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 should be used.
CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS
• It is not possible 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 office visits,
observing how the readings are changing
as time progresses. By utilizing electric pulp
testing, along with all available diagnostic
information, it is often possible to predict where
the tooth's vitality is heading. This allows the
clinician to make informed decisions as to
whether endodontic therapy is appropriate, or
whether it is prudent to simply watch and wait.
• There are general anatomic trends in pulp
vitality readings. Posterior teeth generally
require greater stimulus than anteriors, probably
because of the greater thickness of enamel
and dentin in posterior teeth. Enamel requires a
MEDIUM
4
FAST