Surgical treatment of pulp space infection

Most patients with a pulp abscess require surgical intervention because the infection may be more extensive than the symptoms and clinical appearance suggest.
(A) The incisions used to drain a pulp abscess. Left: Lateral incision. Right: Palmar incision.
(B) The surgical approach to the pulp abscess cavity. The lateral incision enters the abscess cavity dorsal to the neurovascular bundle and palmar to the palmar cortex of the distal phalanx. The palmar incision enters the abscess cavity directly from the palmar aspect.