Restorative Dentistry Even though you teach your child good habits at home, that does not mean that there will never be any dental problems. Here at NC Pediatric Dentistry, we want to take care of small things, before they have the potential to turn into major issues.What You Need to Know About Restorative Dentistry and ChildrenYou might think that restorative dentistry and children do not have anything to do with each other, especially if the child in question still has all of his or her baby teeth. That is not the case at all. Here are some of the ways that our pediatric dentists will use restorative dentistry for their young patients. Baby Teeth MatterEarly Childhood CavitiesExtractions & PulpotomiesTongue TiesFrenectomySpace MaintainersOne of the most common types of restorative dentistry for children is the filling of cavities. There is a common misbelief that a cavity does not need to be filled in a baby tooth because it will eventually fall out anyway. That is not the case. The cavity needs to be filled so that the child will not suffer any pain, and so the cavity will not continue to get worse. We will use a tooth-colored filling instead of metal so that the other children will not notice that there is anything different. Children are not always good at brushing, and that puts the grooves in their teeth at risk for bacteria and decay. We will sometimes use a sealant on the ridges and rough spots of a tooth so that the tooth will not be susceptible to bacteria. The sealant will also be tooth-colored (if in a visible area). How We Can HelpWhile we would rather not extract a tooth when we can help it, sometimes a tooth extraction in a child's mouth is necessary. We might need to do this to make room for adult teeth that are coming in. It also might be necessary if an adult tooth has already erupted, but the baby tooth never fell out. There are other reasons as well. If a tooth is missing and the adult tooth is not ready to erupt, we might use a space maintainer. This will hold the space open for the adult tooth, and it will also keep the other teeth from shifting in your child's jaw. Often, we will use a space maintainer after an extraction. If your child has a cavity in a baby tooth that is too big to fill, we might decide to use a crown instead. Unlike adult crowns, this one will be temporary, until the adult tooth is on the way. If the crown is for a front tooth, we will use one that will match the other teeth. These are a few of the ways that we use restorative dentistry for children. Here at NC Pediatric Dentistry, we make sure to explain each procedure to your child in a way that's easy for them to understand. If you have any questions or need more information, call any of our locations below, if you have any questions. |
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