A Pulpotomy Stops Painful Infections
When a child has a cavity, we could offer treatment with a dental filling or in more advanced stages, a crown. But what if the tooth decay has become an infection? To stop discomfort and the risk of premature tooth loss, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist can provide a root canal alternative known as a pulpotomy.
The Causes of a Dental Infection
A dental infection means that the inner nerve tissues, known as the pulp, have been exposed to harmful oral bacteria. This could be due to an untreated cavity or even a damaged tooth. The infection will grow in severity without treatment and your child could lose the tooth prematurely, causing a number of complications for their oral health. Warning signs include toothaches, tooth sensitivity, headaches, jaw pain, and swelling near the tooth or a discharge from it. When your little one reports painful symptoms, then let us know right away so we can conduct a diagnosis with digital x-rays, assessing the issue with precision and accuracy. We could save the tooth with a pulpotomy!
Keeping Your Children Comfortable
Our team takes time to ensure your child is comfortable and relaxed when they visit, answering their questions and addressing their concerns so they feel listened to. We also recommend medication to help them stay comfortable. For example, our team can administer a local anesthesia to the area being treated to numb the area and ensure your little one is comfortable. For more involved procedures, or for kids with dental anxiety or special needs, we can also help with dental sedation. The sedation option we choose will depend on factors like medications they take, age, weight, anxiety levels, and medical history. This helps them enter a calm and relaxed state with little to no memory of the procedure afterward!
The Pulpotomy Process
When your child is comfortable, our team will open the tooth to remove the infected portions of the inner tissue. We then add a special medicated filling material. For some, this completes the procedure. But for others, we may cap the tooth with a crown. We could use stainless steel for the side and rear teeth, or a more lifelike zirconia one for the front facing teeth. Treating the infection prevents discomfort and tooth loss, so kids avoid misalignment and other complications.
If you have any questions about how our team will diagnose and treat an infection with a pulpotomy procedure, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule a Visit to Treat Your Child’s Root Canal
We would like to help your kids avoid painful symptoms and tooth loss with a pulpotomy procedure. To learn more about treating an infected tooth, please contact your Dallas, TX pediatric dentist, Dr. Marr, by calling (214) 321-4880.
filed under: Restorations for Kids