KIDS ROOT CANAL TREATMENT (PULPECTOMY)

When your dentist tells you that your child needs a root canal. Most parents have one question ! Isn’t that tooth going to fall away in a few years? Then why go through the hassle?

Here it is prudent to understand about milk teeth and what role they play in a child’s mouth.

Vital Role of Milk (Baby Teeth)

Baby teeth usually begin falling between 6 to 12 years. They help in maintaining proper spacing for permanent teeth. They aid in proper speech development too.

Each milk tooth is just a miniature version of the permanent tooth with a small tissue right inside its core called the pulp.

When the infection in the tooth reaches the core of the tooth root canal treatment is necessary to preserve the milk tooth.

How to prepare your child for the root canal?

During your visit to the dentist, it is recommended to remain calm and relaxed as a parent- as your child can sense your anxiety and get nervous as well.

Avoid using the term “injections” in front of your child- as we dentists use kid friendly words to make them more relaxed.

The procedure

Root Canal Treatment in Kids (Pulpectomy) generally causes very little discomfort. At times we can also numb the treatment area

The infected tissue is removed, the canals are cleaned disinfected, shaped and filled with an inert filling material. Now here lies the crucial difference between an adult root canal and a kid’s root canal- the filling material that we use is absorbable. This means that once it is time for the tooth to fall, the root canal filling dissolves along with the tooth root to make way for the permanent tooth. Once the process is complete, we will generally provide you with post operative instructions for care. This is followed by a preformed stainless steel crown on the treated tooth.