An oral condition may affect your kid and damage his or her teeth. Restorative dentistry involves treating the oral diseases, repair, and replacement of teeth to restore the oral health of the kid. It also involves prevention of similar conditions from coming back.

Some of the procedures that are common in restorative dentistry include;

·         Space maintainers installation

·         Installation of stainless steel and golden crowns

·         Treatment of the teeth nerves which is called pulpotomy

·         Extraction of severely damaged teeth

·         White or silver fillings on the teeth with cavities.

Depending on the procedure that the child will be undergoing, it may take a half an hour to two hours. Most of the procedures are done on local anesthesia. The child is awake when the procedures are being done. Pediatric restorative dentistry is not a one-day procedure. There are regular visits to see the dentist for the teeth to be examined, cleaned and treatment of emerging conditions. After the treatment is done, it is good for the child to visit the dentist every six months for a checkup.

What do you expect during the restorative dentistry procedure?

The process depends on the dentistry procedure being performed. Most procedures do not require much more than a physical examination of the diseased area. However, in more complex procedures, an x-ray may be required. However, if the child had a recent x-ray, he or she will not be required to take another x-ray of the same area. The dentist will just review the images of the last x-ray examination.

After the review of the images, the pediatric dentist may numb the area with local anesthesia. However, if the child would not keep calm, sedation can be used instead. The dentist will discuss with you about sedation before commencing.

Pulpotomy

This is a procedure done to treat the nerve when there is widespread tooth decay, when an infected tooth causes so much pain or if the decay is almost touching the nerve or the pulp. A dental drill cleans out the cavity and sterilizes pulp. Part of the nerve or the entire nerve may also be removed. A crown is put over the remaining part of the teeth.

Space Maintainers

If your kid loses teeth early or if a permanent tooth takes too long to appear, a space maintainer is placed over the gap to ‘save’ the space for the intended tooth. Thisprevents other teeth from moving out of their place to cover the void. Space maintainers are removed after the permanent tooth erupts.

Extractions

Teeth can be extracted if there is a deep cavity or a severe infection. They are also extracted if they are overcrowded in the mouth. The child may need space maintainers for extractions except those due to overcrowding.

Crowns and fillings

Silver and white fillings are put when there are cracks in the teeth surface due to decay. They fill the area after the decay has been removed. Crowns are used where only a part of the tooth remains, or the tooth crown is weak after a procedure.

If your child suffers from any tooth condition, take him or her to the Ranchester pediatric dentist for restorative dentistry procedure.