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If a child’s tooth has a cavity or has been damaged, the right repair depends on how much of the tooth is affected and how healthy the tooth is underneath. Treatment may be as simple as a tooth-coloured filling, or the tooth may need more protection with a pediatric dental crown or pulp treatment, such as a pulpotomy.
Cavities Happen. We’re Here to Help With the Next Step.
Cavities can happen for a wide range of reasons — and they’re definitely not a parenting grade. If your child develops tooth decay, we’ll take a close look, explain what we see, and help you understand the options for their care.
Our Pediatric Dentists will talk you through the recommendation before treatment begins and explain what to expect in language that makes sense for the whole family.
A filling is used when decay has damaged part of a tooth but the tooth can still be repaired without needing full coverage. The decayed portion is removed and the tooth is restored so it can keep doing its job. Dental Care for Children may use tooth-coloured composite restorations that blend with the surrounding tooth.
Sometimes a filling is not enough to protect a tooth.
A dental crown may be recommended when a baby tooth has a larger area of decay, has been significantly damaged, or needs full coverage after certain pulp treatments.
A crown covers and protects the remaining tooth structure. The right material and treatment depend on the tooth and your child’s overall care plan.
The phrase “baby root canal” sounds intimidating. It is also not quite the same thing as a conventional root canal on an adult tooth.
The clinical term you may hear is pulpotomy.
Inside every tooth is soft tissue called the pulp. If decay reaches that tissue, the dentist needs to decide whether the baby tooth can still be treated and restored.
A pulpotomy is one type of pulp treatment used in certain primary teeth. The recommendation depends on a number of factors: the health of the pulp, your child’s symptoms, what the dentist sees clinically in the mouth, the findings on x-rays, whether the tooth can be restored, and what other treatment options are available.
If we recommend a pulpotomy, we’ll explain it in plain language and make sure you understand why it is being considered.
This is a very reasonable question.
Baby teeth support the developing structure of the face and your child’s smile, are critical when it comes to eating, assist with speech development, and play a role in your child’s pride and confidence.
That does not mean every baby tooth has to be saved at any cost. It means the decision should consider your child’s age, the condition of the tooth, how long it is expected to remain, and the developing smile around it.
Families searching for a Pediatric Dentist in Calgary have trusted Dental Care for Children for over 50 years.
