Restorative Treatment For Little Smiles
When your child damages a tooth, or if he or she develops a cavity, then treatment is needed to help protect the smile and avoid tooth loss. Our team accomplishes those with dental restorations, such as crowns and fillings. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about restorative dentistry for kids!
When Kids Need Restorative Dentistry
Restorative dentistry is recommended for kids who have sustained injuries to their teeth, or if they develop tooth decay or infection that needs attention. If your little one complains about a toothache, schedule a visit so we can see if they need treatment. If you maintain regular six-month checkup visits, then we can likely identify areas of concern early, often before your little one requires a restoration. These repairs can prevent tooth loss and the spread of infection, preserving your little one’s smile. We can then discuss better oral hygiene habits to lower the risk of future concerns, or even custom mouthguards to prevent dental injuries if they play sports.
Examining Smiles
When your little one cracks or chips a tooth, or has an aching tooth, we will start the restorative process with a dental exam. Using advanced imaging technology, we can identify the cause and assess the severity of the concerns with precision and accuracy. We then create a treatment plan to address the issue, which often involves a restoration that is used to repair the area and protect the smile from worsening complications.
Dental Sedation
The comfort of your child is always paramount for our team. We take time to get to know your child and address their questions and concerns. We will also amidst a local anesthetic to the area being treated, and also provide sedation. With sedation, your little one enters a calm and relaxed state, with little to no memory of the procedure. This can help those undergoing complex treatments, such as tooth extraction and crown placement, and help those with special needs or high anxiety levels that would make undergoing treatment a difficult process. The sedation we choose will depend on anxiety levels, medications, medical history, age, and weight, among other factors.
Dental Filling
When your little one has a cavity, we can often apply a filling to stop pain and preserve the tooth. The filling material is metal-free, making it safe for all ages. The composite resin material we use can be shaded to blend with the tooth, offering a more lifelike appearance. Placement only requires one visit, and the biocompatible material can bond with the tooth and last for years to come. The same material can be used in a bonding procedure to address minor damage and mask imperfections with the tooth too.
Dental Crowns
A dental crown covers the entire visible portion of a tooth, and can be used to improve bite function and chewing capabilities, and to repair cracks, chips, or breakage. Placement can also tackle advanced decay or help complete a pulpotomy for an infected tooth. We can use stainless still for the rear teeth, which endure greater bite forces and pressures, and NuSmile zirconia for the front facing ones, as these are more lifelike in appearance. Crowns restore function, health, and beauty to little smiles!
Pulpotomy
What if a tooth develops a painful dental infection? This could cause severe discomfort and risk the loss of a tooth and the spread of infection without treatment. Instead of a traditional root canal, we can offer a more conservative alternative for kids. The pulpotomy involves numbing the tooth so we can remove the portion of the interior tissues that have been infected. We then add a special medicated filling to the interior of the tooth. We cure the material which completes it for more minor infections. We can also cap the tooth with a dental crown too.
If you have any questions about restorative dentistry, or about any of the treatments we’ve discussed in today’s blog, then please reach out to our team today. We want to help your child smile with confidence and enjoy better oral health too. Every kid deserves good oral health, and that starts with the dental checkup and cleaning visit.
Schedule Your Child’s Restorative Appointment
We would like to help your kids enjoy good oral health and lifelike restorations! When your child complains about pain in a tooth or sustain damage when playing sports, please let us know right away. With restorative dentistry, our team can provide lifelike solutions in many cases, and protect the smile from complications. To learn more about how our team treats issues like tooth decay and infection, then please contact your Dallas, TX pediatric dentist, Dr. Marr, by calling (214) 321-4880.
filed under: Restorations for Kids