How Do We Stop A Child’s Toothache?

Posted October 30, 2025

If your child has a toothache, then this could indicate the presence of a cavity or even the early stages of a dental infection. Without treatment, this discomfort could grow in severity, and could lead to the loss of a tooth prematurely! But we can help bring relief. In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about stopping a child’s toothache.

When to Seek Dental Care for Kids

When should you bring your child to see our team? We recommend a visit for kids about every six months once they reach the age of two. These routine checkup and cleaning visits enable our team to identify serious problems in the early stages, often before your child encounters discomfort. However, if your little one begins to complain about a toothache, then let us know. Once a tooth hurts or feels sensitive when they eat or drink, this could indicate a serious cavity. Even baby teeth require treatment, as otherwise the tooth could become infected and lost prematurely, which impacts how permanent teeth erupt could lead to misalignment that requires orthodontic treatment in the teen years.

Taking a Look at Their Smiles

When you see our team for your child’s toothache, we will take a close look with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras. With advanced imaging technology, we can identify issues like tooth decay in the early stages so we can take action to prevent or stop pain, and keep the tooth in place. The imaging technology uses less radiation than traditional options, and provides detailed images instantly chairside without the need for uncomfortable bitewings, so the process is faster and more enjoyable for your little ones. If we discover issues like tooth decay or even an infected tooth, we can offer relief to protect the smile!

Dental Restorations for Kids

Dental restorations allow our team to treat the factors behind your child’s toothache, so they can enjoy relief and keep their smiles intact. For a cavity, we could offer a filling made from a metal-free and safe composite resin, which bonds with the tooth and can offer a more lifelike option than traditional materials, such as amalgam. The same material can be used on bonding procedures to address minor injuries too. The placement process only takes one visit to complete!

The Pulpotomy Procedure

What if a tooth has become infected? If this happens, then we could offer a root canal alternative for kids known as a pulpotomy. With this procedure, we will take steps to numb the tooth and keep your little one comfortable. We then open the tooth to remove the infected portions of the inner tissues, but will leave the rest intact. Our team then adds a mediate filling to complete the procedure. For some, we may cap the tooth with a stainless-steel or NuSmile zirconia dental crown.

Tooth Extraction

If a tooth is found to be too decayed or infected to be treated with a dental restoration, then tooth extraction may be necessary to prevent the infection from reaching other teeth or moving into the jawbone. With sedation, we can ensure the entire process is comfortable for your little one. In as little as a half hour, we can gently extract the tooth in question. We could also refer you to an orthodontist for a space maintainer to help prevent misalignment due to the open space in the smile, so that the permanent teeth can erupt without difficulty.

Cavity Prevention

Our team also offers treatments to help prevent the risk of issues, which is especially important during the Halloween and holiday season. Our team can clean the teeth to remove the outer plaque and tartar that can weaken and erode the enamel. We can also provide fluoride treatments to strengthen the outer enamel to keep cavities at bay. For the rear teeth, which kids often have trouble brushing and flossing thoroughly, we can apply dental sealants. This thin acrylic layer prevents food and drink particles from being trapped where kids cannot reach, so the risk of tooth decay lowers significantly. These can stay in place for up to ten years in some cases!

If you have any questions about how we treat or prevent toothaches with our restorations and preventive treatments, then contact our team today.

PDC Kids Restores Little Smiles

For kids, we can help repair and restore their teeth to avoid infection and tooth loss. To find out more about taking on your child’s oral health concerns, call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, today at (214) 321-4880.