When to intervene with questionable pulps or slab fractures

It is possible to see secondary dentine overlying the pulp canals on the occlusal surface of normal equine cheek teeth that are in wear and on incisors from approximately 2.5 years post eruption. The secondary dentine should be smooth and shiny in appearance and is frequently stained brown from feed pigment. Defects in the secondary dentine usually indicate endodontic disease, as in healthy teeth dentine is continually laid down at the occlusal aspect of the pulp horn to protect it from exposure to the oral environment during attrition. Pulpar exposure can also be caused by dental fracture. In some cases, pulpar exposure from fractures results in an inflammatory pulpar response that has the ability to clear infection and produce a hard surface (tertiary dentine forming a ‘dentinal bridge’) that protects the pulps from further exposure to the oral environment ...