Root Canals in Primary Teeth
Root canal treatment in a primary tooth is often the most remembered dental experience for a child and often forms their opinion about going to the dentist later in life. For some children, simply the memory is a trauma in itself. But it doesn't need to be that way.
At Detail dental Kids a root canal, commonly referred to as a pulpectomy is usually performed under local anesthetic or novocaine while the tooth is numb. It does involve removal of the nerve in the root portion of the tooth, but it does preserve the natural tooth, as well as health of the surrounding gum tissue and bone.
Once performed, the root canal is is cleaned, disinfected, and filled to then allow for healthy development of the permanent tooth growing underneath the baby tooth.
Pulpotomy
Another common procedure performed in baby teeth involving the pulp or nerve tissue of the tooth is referred to as a pulpotomy.
A pulpotomy involves removing the infected coronal portion of the nerve and vasculature of a baby tooth. The coronal portion of the tooth is the part of the tooth you can see above the gumline. The hollow cavity is disinfected, and a medicament is placed inside the tooth.
A crown can then be placed on the tooth to help add strength to the tooth structure. Root canals in young permanent teeth can also be performed. We evaluate the health of the tooth and the stage of development of root formation to determine when and how to perform this procedure in young permanent teeth.