When Children Need Restorative Dentistry

Posted July 20, 2023

When your little one complains about a toothache, or if a tooth is damaged during an accident while playing, then a restoration could bring relief. Our team offers safe, biocompatible, and long-lasting restorations to help little smiles of all ages. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about our approach to restorative dentistry.

Common Signs of Trouble

When should you bring your child in for a dental exam and possible restorative treatment? Common warning signs that kids need restorative dentistry include toothaches and tooth sensitivity that don’t pass after a few hours. Obviously, if a tooth is injured that needs treatment too. If your child attends six-month checkup and cleaning visits, then our team can make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy and catch these issues early, often before painful symptoms develop. Even if the decay or injury occurs in a baby tooth, treatment is still crucial. After all, months or even years could pass before these teeth fall out on their own, and leaving them in place could increase the risk of tooth decay and infection, as well as premature tooth loss and the onset of dental misalignment!

Fillings to Treat Cavities

One of the more common procedures we use to help little smiles is a filling. We don’t use amalgam, which could contain trace amounts of mercy unsafe for kids. Instead, we use a metal-free composite resin, a biocompatible material that is durable and safe for children of all ages. The material can also be shaded to blend with the tooth and offer a more lifelike repair. The filling placement involves our team gently numbing the tooth and then removing the decay. We clean the tooth and apply the filling material in multiple layers. As we shade the tooth and sculpt the filling material, we cure the composite resin beneath a light. The last step is to polish the tooth. The same material could also be used to address minor damage too.

Capping Teeth with a Crown

When damage is too severe to be treated with composite resin, then we could place a dental crown. The restoration caps the tooth and covers the entire visible proton. We could use stainless steel for the side and rear teeth, which must endure greater bite forces, while more lifelike zirconia could be employed for the front facing ones. The process involves our team numbing the tooth and then removing structure to make room for the completed crown. We then attach the restoration with a powerful bonding agent. In addition to repairing damage, this can address more severe cases of tooth decay, and improve bite balance and chewing function.

Root Canal Therapy

What if a tooth is infected? When a tooth develops a painful infection or abscess, then treatment is needed to prevent not only worsening pain, but the risk of losing the tooth altogether. Instead of a traditional root canal, our team provides a more conservative alternative known as a pulpotomy. As always, we can administer a local anesthesia to keep your child comfortable, and we can also discuss sedation since this is a more involved procedure. Once your little one is comfortable, we open the tooth to remove the infected portions of inner tissue, and then add a special medicated filling to the interior of the tooth. We could complete the process with a filling, or by capping the tooth with a crown, depending on the severity of the infection being treated. With sedation, your child enters a calm and relaxed state with little to no memory of the procedure. We can offer three different options for kids undergoing restorative dentistry, nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV, depending on your child’s anxiety levels, age, weight, and medical history.

Tooth Extraction

What if the tooth cannot be treated with a filling or crown? Then the best restorative dental treatment could be an extraction, in which we gently and carefully remove the tooth in question, preventing infection from spreading to other teeth. We also offer this to help boost bite balance or aid in orthodontic treatment. Again, we take steps to ensure the comfort of your child throughout the process!

If you have any questions about restorative dentistry, or if you would like to schedule a visit for your child, then contact our team today to learn more.

Speak With Your Dallas, TX, Pediatric Dentist About Restorative Dentistry

If you would like to learn more about restorative dentistry, or to schedule an appointment for a restoration placement, we invite you to contact your Dallas, TX pediatric dentist, Dr. Marr, by calling (214) 321-4880.