Gentle Root Canal Treatments for Children's Primary Teeth in Watuga, TX
An upcoming root canal, also known as a pulpotomy, can be an intimidating thought, even to most adults. Fortunately, our team is experienced in providing comfortable tooth-saving root canal therapy to children so it’s just like any other visit. We’ll give them the care they need to take away the worry and leave them with rejuvenated, healthy smiles.
What is a Root Canal?
A root canal is a treatment used to treat infected dental pulp inside of a tooth. Dental pulp holds the nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels of the tooth that keeps it alive and healthy. When decay permeates the outer enamel layer of the tooth, it can infect this inner pulp.
Root canal therapy is a common dental practice that removes and disinfects the affected dental pulp and seals the tooth to prevent further damage. It’s an effective treatment for relieving severe tooth pain and saving a tooth from early extraction.
When is a Root Canal Necessary?
Tooth decay erodes teeth and can spread quickly. Dental x-rays during routine exams allow us to see how far decay has progressed into your child’s tooth. If it’s reached the inner dental pulp, we’ll recommend root canal therapy to remove the infected pulp before it can compromise the tooth.
Saving and protecting baby teeth is just as important as adult teeth. An infected baby tooth can cause severe pain if left untreated. During your child’s visits, it’s always our goal to allow baby teeth to develop and fall out naturally. Root canal therapy allows a tooth to develop pain-free until it’s ready to come out. Early extraction can cause uneven development that leads to speech and bite problems in the future.
Root Canal Procedure
Our experienced team is trained to make your child’s visit as comfortable as possible. We’ll walk them through each step so there’s no fear of the unknown. Watching a show or movie is also a helpful distraction we’re happy to provide to ease any nerves.
During the procedure, we first use safe sedation dentistry techniques to numb the area around the tooth. The tooth is then prepared to allow access to the inner dental pulp. Tools are used to gently remove and disinfect damaged dental pulp, and the tooth is filled and sealed to protect further damage. If necessary, a dental crown may be placed to provide structural reinforcement until the primary tooth is ready to fall out.
Pulpotomy Treatment for Baby Teeth
Along with root canal therapy, our office also provides pulpotomy procedures. A pulpotomy, also referred to as a baby root canal, is a specialized dental pulp treatment for growing primary teeth. During a root canal, all of the dental pulp, including the roots of the tooth, are removed before filling and sealing the tooth. Comparatively, a pulpotomy only removes damaged pulp from the upper part of the tooth. Once the infected pulp is removed, the remaining pulp is treated with medication to prevent further infection into the tooth. Since pulpotomies preserve the tooth’s natural pulp, the roots can continue to grow and mature as intended. A pulpotomy effectively restores the natural baby tooth so they remain healthy until their adult teeth replacements are ready to come in.
Worry Free Root Canal Therapy
Part of building lifelong oral habits are positive early dental experiences. It’s our priority to give every child compassionate care that leaves them feeling good about their visit and their smiles. Contact us today to schedule your child’s next dental appointment.