If your child suffers from cavities or toothaches, ask the caring kids’ dentist at Greenhaven Pediatric Dentistry in Sacramento and Davis, CA, about dental pulp treatment. Especially when children are small, you may wonder if you can perform a root canal on baby teeth and if it’s worth it.
We’re here to answer your questions and make pediatric pulp therapy easier to understand all around.
What Is Dental Pulp?
Inside your child’s tooth is living tissue, nerves, and blood vessels — the pulp. The pulp brings oxygen and nutrients to teeth and helps them stay firmly rooted in place.
Why Would My Child Need Pulp Therapy?
Childhood is a busy time. Sports, household accidents, and changing eating habits can lead to cavities or dental caries, cracked teeth, and chipped teeth. Anytime the pulp of your child’s teeth is exposed, there is a potential for painful swelling, temperature sensitivity, and infection.
Signs It’s Time To Call The Dentist
- Dental Trauma — Cracked, Chipped, Or Broken Teeth
- Sensitivity To Warm & Cold Foods
- Swelling Or Redness Around A Tooth
- Unexpectedly Loose Teeth
- Toothaches
Why Save Baby Teeth?
Pulp therapy helps you save little teeth while removing infection and relieving pain and sensitivity. It can also prevent future dental issues kids can experience when a tooth is extracted instead.
- To encourage proper speaking and eating.
- To preserve adequate space for permanent teeth.
- To help prevent overcrowding.
- To help prevent unnecessary crooked permanent teeth.
- To help prevent impacted teeth.
How Are Baby Root Canals Different From Adult Root Canals?
If you’ve ever had an adult root canal, you might remember getting a filling and a crown. When baby teeth are involved, we don’t fill the tooth. That’s because we want the tooth to fall out naturally when it’s time.
Well, if the tooth is going to fall out anyway, should you even bother with dental pulp treatment? Definitely, another way adult and baby root canals differ is that tooth decay can spread much faster in children. So, unlike a typical root canal, pulp therapy is usually not optional.
Pulpotomy Vs. Pulpectomy — What Does That Mean?
Your pediatric dentist may throw terms around like pulpotomy, pulpectomy, vital, or non-vital pulp therapy. These pediatric dentistry phrases describe how much of the inside of your child’s tooth can be saved.
- Pulpotomy Or Vital Pulp Therapy — only part of the material inside the tooth is infected and needs to be removed.
- Pulpectomy Or Non-Vital Pulp Therapy — all of the material inside the tooth is infected, down to the roots, and needs to be removed.
Schedule Pediatric Pulp Treatment In Davis & Sacramento
For more information on sedation, special needs services, or general questions about dental pulp treatment, contact us at Greenhaven Pediatric Dentistry to schedule an appointment in Sacramento or Davis, CA. We look forward to making this appointment as quick and painless as possible for both you and your child.
