3 Facts You Need To Know About A Pulpotomy




A pulpotomy is a procedure completed in a pediatric dental office to help remove the pulp in a baby tooth. “When bacteria or decay reaches the root of the tooth, it is important to take care of as soon as possible,” says pediatric dentist, Dr. Cameron Fuller. Your child may complain of pain or sensitivity if they are old enough. Otherwise they may just seem fussy. If left untreated, bacteria can cause your child to lose their baby teeth, have an infection and experience severe pain. 
 Dr. Fuller will suggest a pulpotomy if the decay is impacting the function of the tooth, or if they are in pain. Baby teeth are important in the development of your child’s adult teeth. If decay and bacteria in the root is left, that damage can spread causing problems for multiple baby teeth as well as their adult teeth. The tooth as it becomes more infected can increase their level of pain, causing them not to want to eat healthy fruits and vegetables or foods that are crunchy. This lack of nutrients can then decrease their overall health and well-being.  
A pulpotomy usually requires a crown to be placed over the tooth after the procedure is completed. This crown will protect the tooth once the bacteria is eliminated. Having a crown placed over the tooth will restore the tooth’s natural functionality and allow them to chew again pain free. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Your comment will be approved after it has been read by one of our staff.

Popular posts from this blog

What is a dental abscess?

Image
One of the most common conditions affecting children's teeth are dental abscesses.  Children with severe cavities often have teeth that abscess.  Abscess of lower left primary tooth.  NOTE the tissue swelling on the tooth. Radiograph of abscess on middle tooth.  Note the dark outline of the short root. Dental abscesses often start out as large cavities on the teeth. Once the cavity invades the pulp of the tooth the infection spreads to the bone. At that point the tooth is no longer salvageable. A dental abscess is a swelling of the tissue around an infected tooth. The following symptoms may result from a dental abscess.  Children can often present with facial swelling, fever,  altered eating habits, poor concentration, poor sleep patterns, breathing problems, and general malaise. The treatment that is always recommended is antibiotics and extraction. 
Read more

A gap between the teeth

Image
When your baby’s teeth first begin to come in and you notice that gap between their teeth when they smile, the family may coo that it’s cute. "However, it is very important that if your child has a gap in their teeth due to a maxillary frenum, or another reason, that it be corrected," says pediatric dentist Dr. Cameron Fuller. Your child’s education, speech and self-confidence is dependent upon it being corrected at an early age.             As your child gets older they are working on saying certain sounds. Children who are younger than five should be developing the ability to say all of the sounds. After five if these sounds are not solidified it will make it much more difficult for them to learn to correctly speak. “And by age seven if the sounds are not correct they run the risk of never being able to say them correctly,” says Dr. Cameron Fuller . By age five and six your child should be able to say th...
Read more

Baby teeth: What you should know.

The importance of oral health for a child is paramount.  So many aspects of a child's development depend on a healthy oral environment. At pediatric dentistry of Redlands we specialize in children's oral health, especially prevention. Here is a quick read from CNN on " Baby's teeth: What you should Know ."  
Read more