As a parent, seeing your child suffering from the pain of an infected tooth can be quite a distressing experience. You’ll naturally want to do anything you can to help your little one find relief – but what is the best way to do that? Should the infection be treated with pulp therapy? Or would a tooth extraction be a better solution? Your pediatric dentist is here to help you figure out the right steps to take to protect your child’s smile.
What are Pulp Therapy and Tooth Extraction?
Pulp therapy is a procedure that might be recommended for teeth with injured or infected pulp. Children can have pulp therapy performed on both baby teeth and permanent teeth. The procedure involves creating an opening in the tooth so that the infected part of the pulp can be removed. (In more severe cases, all of the pulp might need to be taken out.) To protect the treated tooth, a crown may be placed afterward.
Meanwhile, tooth extraction is exactly what it sounds like: the removal of the tooth from the mouth. Rest assured that steps will be taken to keep your child as comfortable as possible for this procedure. Tooth extractions can either be simple or surgical depending on whether the tooth has fully erupted or is still beneath the gums.
Should Your Child Undergo Pulp Therapy or a Tooth Extraction?
It ultimately boils down to one question: can your child’s tooth still be saved? If the answer is yes, then pulp therapy is the best choice. It is always better to save a natural tooth whenever possible.
Note that this applies to baby teeth as much as it does to permanent teeth. While baby teeth do eventually fall out on their own, they play an important role in preserving the space that permanent teeth need to erupt properly; if they’re lost or taken out too early, your child may ultimately suffer from significant alignment issues.
Your pediatric dentist will only recommend an extraction if saving the tooth is no longer a viable option. This could be the case for a tooth that is so badly weakened that it can’t support a dental crown. Additionally, an extraction might be required if your child’s tooth has a crack that extends below the gumline.
When your child is struggling with dental pain, it’s important to make sure that you have a firm grasp on what treatment options are available. Call your pediatric dentist right away to schedule an appointment for your little one and find out whether pulp therapy or a tooth extraction might be called for. The sooner you act, the sooner your child can find relief!
About the Author
Dr. Glen Shanock has more than 25 years of experience as a pediatric dentist. He puts a lot of focus on helping his young patients stay relaxed in the dental chair during all sorts of procedures. He’s proud to be able to offer pulp therapy as a way to save infected teeth. To schedule a consultation for your child with Dr. Glen at Dr. Glen’s Happy Teeth in Long Beach, visit his website or call (516) 517-0331.