A Pulpotomy Stops Pain In Your Child’s Tooth
When your child has a severe toothache, this could mean advanced tooth decay or even the presence of an infection. Treatment is needed to not only stop discomfort, but avoid the loss of a tooth! In today’s blog, your Dallas, TX, pediatric dentist talks about helping aching teeth with a pulpotomy.
The Causes of Tooth Pain
If your child has a toothache, could this be due to an infection? For some, a temporary ache could occur due to teeth grinding, sinus or allergy issues, or even changes in elevation. However, these are temporary and pass after a few hours. A toothache that lasts for more than a day likely indicates a cavity in the more advanced stage, or the early stages of an infection. Treatment is needed to avoid losing the tooth prematurely, which could happen and impact alignment, even leading to the need for orthodontics down the road. Which is why even baby teeth, which are destined to fall out eventually, require treatment!
The Pulpotomy
We will begin by examining the tooth with digital x-rays, a fast and comfortable process that provides high-definition images of the tooth’s interior. We can assess the severity of the decay or the presence of infection. If the issue is too severe to be addressed with a dental filling, then our team could recommend a safe and gentle root canal alternative in the form of a pulpotomy.
With this option, we will numb the tooth and may recommend sedation to ensure the comfort of your child, even if your little one has anxiety or special needs. We then open the tooth to remove the infected portions of the interior tissues, and then we add a medicated filling to fill the area. If the infection is severe, then we may cap the tooth with a crown, likely stainless steel one for the side and rear teeth and possibly a more lifelike NuSmile zirconia one for the more visible front-facing teeth.
Safeguarding Teeth
To help lower the risk of future tooth decay or infection in the teeth, we suggest cutting back on the sugar and starch in your child’s diet. Make sure your kids brush and floss daily, and ensure they attend routine checkup and cleaning visit every six months. If you have any questions about our pulpotomy procedure, then contact our team today to learn more. A visit now is also a chance to use your dental benefits before they expire.
PDC Kids Treats Infection in Little Smiles
We want to help protect kids from worsening pain in a tooth. To find out more about how we address an infected tooth in a child’s smile, call Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda in Dallas, TX, today at (214) 321-4880.
filed under: Restorations for Kids