Practice Limited to Pediatric DentistryPulp Therapy for Kids Grayslake
Saving Precious Teeth
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Does your child have a bad toothache? When bacteria have access to the inner layer of the tooth, which is called the pulp, these sensitive tissues can make your child miserable and negatively affect them in basically all aspects of life. Luckily, our skilled, compassionate pediatric dentists can perform pulp therapy in our Grayslake, IL, dental office to relieve their pain, save the tooth from extraction, and prevent further decay. Could your child need pulp therapy? Give our team a call and schedule an appointment with us!
Does Your Child Need Pulp Therapy?
The goal of pulp therapy is to treat problems that develop in the innermost layer of a tooth, known as its pulp. The pulp is home to blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues. The only way to know for certain if your child needs pulp therapy is to bring them to a qualified dentist for an evaluation.
However, there are some easily recognizable signs that indicate an appointment with our team is in order:
- Your child is complaining that they have a toothache, or they are showing other signs of dental distress (for example, they may be avoiding certain foods).
- Their teeth are very sensitive to hot, cold, and acidic foods.
- You notice visible damage to one of your child’s teeth, such as a crack or chip.
- A tooth is discolored.
- The gums around a tooth are red and swollen.
- You see a bump on the gums near a tooth.
The Pulp Therapy Process
To get things started, we will numb your child’s mouth so they do not feel pain during their treatment. In some cases, we also administer nitrous oxide to make the appointment easier. Once your child is comfortable, we can start working on their tooth.
There are two types of pulp therapy:
- If the tooth is still vital, meaning it has blood flow and sensitivity to temperature, a pulpotomy may be the best course of action. In this procedure, the pulp located in the crown portion of the tooth is removed while the pulp within the roots is left intact. This approach is frequently used for baby teeth to prevent them from being lost prematurely.
- If the tooth has died (no longer has blood flow), a pulpectomy may be necessary. This involves extracting all of the pulp tissue from both its crown and the root canals. This treatment closely resembles the root canal procedures typically used on adults. (In fact, a pulpectomy is usually used on permanent teeth and rarely on baby ones.)
After pulp therapy, a crown is usually needed to protect the treated tooth from additional harm.
The Benefits of Pulp Therapy
Pulp therapy has the potential to provide some outstanding benefits:
- Pain relief: Pulp therapy may permanently relieve your child’s toothache.
- Prevents infections from spreading: Treating the infected pulp can stop a dental infection from spreading into nearby tissues or invading the bloodstream.
- Saves natural teeth: Preventing tooth extractions can lower the risk of dental drift and problems with your child’s natural oral development.
- Promotes normal eating: This treatment may enable your child to chew and eat without discomfort or significant dietary limitations.
- Supports speech development: When your child has all their teeth, they are more likely to learn to articulate their words properly.