Restoring Your Child’s Smile

Posted January 9, 2025

Our team is proud to offer treatment to restore little smiles and protect kids from major oral health complications. From fillings to crowns, we can return smiles to full function, health, and beauty. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about how we help restore your child’s smile.

When Kids Need a Dental Restoration

When should you bring your child to us for a dental restoration? We recommend a visit every six months for a checkup and cleaning so we can identify possible restorative issues like tooth decay or an infection in the early stages, often before they encounter discomfort, and then treat them. Otherwise, you won’t know treatment is needed until your little one complains about pain in a tooth. Persistent discomfort could be a sign of an advanced cavity or an infected tooth. You should also bring your little one in when a tooth is cracked or chipped. Even if a tooth is injured and no damage is visible, consider an appointment as fractures are nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Dental Sedation

Treating dental restorations can prevent worsening pain or the risk of losing a tooth prematurely, a factor in the onset of misalignment. But we also want to ensure your child’s visit is a comfortable one, even if your little one has special needs or anxiety that makes undergoing even routine checkups a difficult process. We can numb the immediate area with a local anesthetic. Our team could also choose from one of three dental sedation options, which help kids enter a deep state of calm, often with little to no memory of the procedure itself. We know that when kids have a positive experience in the office, they are more likely to look forward to treatment and continue care when they reach adulthood.

Dental Fillings

If we find a cavity, then our team could offer results in only one visit with a dental filling. Instead of metal, we use fillings made from composite resin, a metal-free material that looks more natural and bonds with the tooth, staying in place for longer. The placement process is pretty simple. We will numb the area with the local anesthetic we mentioned above, and then remove the decay from the tooth. Our team then prepares and places the filling material in several layers, shaping the tooth to ensure proper balance as we cure the composite resin under a special light. Finally, we polish it for a brighter appearance.

Crowns

If your little one has a more substantial restorative issue that needs more than a filling, we could place a crown. The crown covers the tooth and helps provide repair that lasts for years to come. We could use stainless steel for the side and rear teeth, which need to endure greater bite forces. For the more front facing teeth, our team could use zirconia. Placement involves numbing the tooth, removing structure to make room for the crown, and then placing the restoration on the tooth.

Pulpotomy

What if a tooth is infected? Instead of a traditional root canal, our team could offer a more conservative alternative in the form of a pulpotomy. With this option, we numb the tooth so we can comfortably open it and remove the infected portions of the inner tissues. We then add a special medicated filling to the interior of the tooth. For some, this will complete the procedure, while others may need a crown placed to finish the procedure. The pulpotomy stops discomfort and helps prevent the infection from causing tooth loss or reaching other parts of the smile. Your little one enjoys a full smile, and doesn’t suffer from the premature loss of a baby tooth, or the loss of a permanent one.

If you have any questions about how we help little smiles with restorative dentistry, or if your child has an aching tooth or one that has sustained an injury, then contact our team right away for an appointment. Even if your child doesn’t have an obvious need for restorative care, consider scheduling their first checkup and cleaning of 2025, so we can help them start a new year with a healthy smile!

Talk to Our Team About Children’s Restorations

Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda offers treatment to help preserve smiles for kids of all ages, whether they have a simple cavity or a tooth that is cracked, chipped, or infected. To learn more or schedule an appointment, call our Dallas, TX, team today at 214-321-4880 today.