Dental Restorations To Help Your Child’s Smile

Posted October 5, 2023

When a child cracks or chips a tooth, or suffers toothaches due to tooth decay and infection, then a restoration could be necessary. Repairing the teeth could prevent discomfort and the risk of premature tooth loss! In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about our durable dental restorations.

When Kids Need a Dental Restoration

When do we recommend a dental restoration for kids? We suggest them when a tooth is decayed or infected, as this could prevent the loss of the tooth and the spread of infection. Treatment is necessary even for baby teeth destined to fall out, as months or even years could elapse between the onset of decay and when the tooth is meant to fall out, so avoiding care means serious discomfort for your child and the risk of infection spreading to other parts of the smile. We also recommend one when a dental emergency occurs, such as a cracked or chipped tooth, as again treatment prevents serious decay or infection from threatening smile stability. Losing teeth to cavities or infection could increase the risk of major complications, including dental misalignment that will require orthodontic care down the road.

Dental Sedation

Before we place a dental restoration, our team will carefully examine the smile with digital technology and plan the procedure in detail. To ensure your little one is comfortable and to provide a positive experience, we will often prescribe dental sedation. The sedation helps kids enter a calm and relaxed state, with little to memory of the procedure despite being conscious the entire time. We could offer nitrous oxide, inhaled through a mask over the nose. The effects wear off once the procedure ends. Oral sedation is given via pill or liquid form prior to the procedure and offers a deeper state of calm. Your kids may be a little groggy afterward, but will remain conscious. IV is administered intravenously and the effects are very heavy. We monitor your child throughout the treatment, and our team members include board-certified and trained anesthesiologists.

Dental Fillings

If your child has a toothache or we discover a cavity during their exam, we could offer relief with a dental filling. Instead of metal, we will create the restoration with composite resin, a metal-free material safe for kids of all ages. The placement only takes one visit, with our team numbing the tooth and removing the decay before we clean the tooth and apply the filling material. We then shape the tooth as the composite resin cures. Finally, we polish the tooth to keep it bright and limit how easily plaque and tartar can cling to the tooth surface. In one visit, we treat decay and offer relief for kids. The same material can be used to address very minor damage too.

Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are restorations that cover the entire visible tooth structure, which means they can be used to handle serious decay, major damage, or to complete our pulpotomy procedure if you have an infected tooth. The crown could be made from stainless steel as this can handle daily bite forces with ease. We also have NuSmile zirconia, which is not only strong and durable, but can be shaded to blend with the smile too. The crowns help restore smiles to optimal health and function again, and can sometimes match the surrounding teeth.

Pulpotomies

What if a tooth is infected? In these situations, our team will provide a conservative alternative to the traditional root canal procedure. With a pulpotomy, we take digital x-rays to identify the position and severity of the infection. We then numb the tooth and open to remove the infected portions of the inner issues. We add a medicated filling to finish the process, and in some cases, we may also cap the tooth with a crown. Treating an infection helps prevent the loss of the tooth, so your child enjoys a complete smile and avoids the need for more involved treatments down the road.

If you have any questions about how we repair little smiles with our dental restoration, or if your child has a damaged or aching tooth that needs attention, then please reach out to our team today. We want to help your kids smile with confidence and enjoy good oral health for years to come.

Talk Your Dallas, TX, Pediatric About Repairing Little Smiles

We would like to help your children obtain a healthy smile and receive repair for damaged teeth, which is why we invite you to contact your Dallas, TX pediatric dentist, Dr. Marr, by calling (214) 321-4880. Every kid deserves a bright and healthy smile, and we want to help!