Restoration

Once the child develops a cavity,it is important to have the decay removed and the teeth filled. A decayed tooth left untreated will result in dental infection causing severe toothache and even fever in some children.In these severe dental infection, the Pediatric Dentist will have to perform root canal treatment. If the infection has spread so extensively, leaving the roots only, then the tooth will have to be extracted.

A young child may need root canal treatment in order to maintain the vitality of the pulp of a tooth affected or infected by caries, traumatic injury, or other causes.

Keeping baby teeth healthy is an important part of: preserving space in the dental arch, preserving biting and chewing power, maintaining facial beauty, preventing tongue habits, and helping with speech. Root canal treatment is also called dental pulp therapy.

Two common forms of pulp therapy for young children are pulpotomy and pulpectomy.

The pulpotomy procedure preserves the vitality of the pulp within the root. The dental pulp contains the nerve tissue, blood vessels, and reparative cells of the root. Pulp therapy is usually performed "under a rubber dam", which isolates the tooth from the oral cavity during treatment. In a pulpotomy, the diseased pulp tissue within the crown portion of the tooth is removed, while the healthy tissue inside of the root is left alone. The space inside of the treated crown is then filled with a healing agent, and a stainless steel cap is usually placed over the tooth.

Another form of pulp therapy is the pulpectomy. A pulpectomy is needed when inflammation, infection, or degenerative changes have progressed into the root canal portion of a tooth. In this procedure, the diseased tissue is completely removed from the inside of the crown and root. The root canals are cleansed, enlarged, disinfected, and filled with a resorbable material. A stainless steel cap is usually placed over the tooth.

For young children, these root canal treatment may be carried out by the Pediatric Dentist under sedation.

In cases where the child has multiple caries and is too young to undergo these long dental treatment on the dental chair, the Pediatric Dentist can treat him/her under General Anaesthesia (GA) in the Hospital. Dental treatment under GA is a common procedure practised by the Pediatric Dentist for children who are very young and not co-operative at the chairside or for children with severe trauma/injuries.