What is a baby root canal?
A root canal is a dental procedure that’s performed to treat an infected tooth’s pulp. Your pulp is the soft, inner layer of your tooth that contains nerves, blood vessels, connective tissues, and reparative cells.
In a regular root canal, your dentist removes all of the tooth’s infected pulp. In a baby root canal, or a pulpotomy, your dentist removes all of the pulp just before the tooth’s root structure begins (actually making the name “baby root canal” a bit of a misnomer).
What are the signs that my child needs a baby root canal?
If your child has an infected tooth pulp, they’ll likely need a baby root canal. Your child might have an infected tooth pulp if they have:
- Pain in one or more of their teeth
- Increased sensitivity to hot or cold in one or more of their teeth
- A broken tooth with exposed pulp
If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment immediately with the dental experts at My Kidz Dentist.
Why does my child need a baby root canal?
It might seem unnecessary to get a root canal done on a baby tooth since root canals are performed to salvage a tooth and baby teeth eventually fall out, but it’s actually incredibly important that your child’s baby teeth don’t become infected and fall out prematurely.
Baby teeth hold the space for the permanent teeth that eventually replace them, and losing a baby tooth too soon can make way for your child’s adjacent teeth to shift into the empty space. This can block the permanent tooth from coming in properly causing it to grow in tilted.
How is a baby root canal performed?
When your child comes in for a baby root canal procedure, your dentist first uses a local anesthetic to numb the infected tooth and the surrounding tissues. Next, a rubber dam is placed around the tooth in order to isolate it for the procedure and protect the rest of your child’s mouth from contamination.
Once your child’s tooth is numb, the dentist uses a miniature drill to make a tiny opening in the tooth. A series of small files are used to remove all of the diseased pulp from the pulp chamber, which your child wouldn’t be able to feel.
After all of the infected pulp has been removed, your dentist cleans the pulp chamber with an antibacterial solution, and fills the space with a rubbery compound called gutta percha. Lastly, the hole is sealed and a crown applied in order to protect the tooth and prevent further decay.
If your child is experiencing the pain of an infected tooth, don’t wait to schedule your baby root canal with the gentle dentists at My Kidz Dentist. You can book your appointment by calling the office nearest you or using the convenient online scheduling tool.
