Restorative Dental Care
Many parents wonder why restorative care is so important for their child. The health of your child's teeth goes deeper than cavity prevention. Teeth that are crooked or crowded make it difficult to floss and properly clean. This means that bacteria have an easier time sticking around, leading to tooth decay and gum disease.
Dentistry for children is critically important, even if your child's permanent teeth haven't yet made an appearance. Crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth can lead to speech problems, impaired chewing comfort or ability, and stress on gums and bones. Baby teeth provide a pathway for permanent teeth — it's vital that this pathway is as strong and healthy as possible.
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Q. What are the results of restorative treatment?
A. After surgical restorative treatment, your child's teeth will be straight and properly aligned. Brushing and flossing will be easier. Chewing will be more comfortable. Any speech or pronunciation problems your child may have experienced will be improved. In the case of baby teeth, a pathway will be provided for permanent teeth that will encourage the same improved function and comfort.
Composite Resin Fillings
Composite resin is a filling material designed for aesthetic dental restorations. Formulated to resemble the color of your natural tooth, composite resin is often used for filling dental cavities or for the dental bonding of front teeth.
Composite resin consists of glass or quartz filler added to a resin medium, producing a tooth-colored filling. The invention of composite resin offers a substitute to the amalgam of dental fillings we've grown accustomed to. This plastic and glass mixture contains no metal and can be shaped to resemble a real tooth.
Pulpotomies
The dental pulp has nerves and blood vessels. When the pulp is injured through tooth decay or trauma, the primary tooth can abscess. A pulpotomy is a procedure used to save a tooth when the nerve of the tooth is infected by decay or exposure. If this condition is left untreated, it may affect the bone around the developing tooth or result in facial swelling and loss of the tooth.
The treatment involves removing the infected portion of the dental pulp and cleaning, medicating, and sealing the area. In selected cases, a pulpotomy is an excellent way to save the primary tooth. After the pulpotomy treatment, a stainless steel crown is usually used to prevent fracture of the tooth.
Aesthetic Crowns
When a front tooth is fractured or badly decayed, it may be restored with an aesthetic crown. An aesthetic crown closely matches the natural color of the child's other teeth.
Space Maintainers
When a tooth is lost too early from an injury or abscess, other teeth may shift into its space, resulting in a malocclusion or bad bite. A space maintainer is needed to hold space for the permanent tooth to come in properly after a primary tooth is lost early. A space maintainer for the front teeth will improve the child's appearance and may aid in proper speech development. When a permanent tooth is lost, a space maintainer is also used until a more permanent bridge can be placed.
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Stainless Steel Crowns
When decay has destroyed a tooth to the extent that there is little support for a filling, or a nerve treatment has to be performed, it is best to cover the tooth with a crown. This prevents the tooth from being fractured. After removal of all of the decay, a stainless steel crown is used to restore back teeth and occasionally front teeth where plastic is not easily retained. To avoid the cost and time of replacement, please avoid sticky foods such as hard candy, caramel, and taffy. The crowned tooth will usually fall out normally when the permanent tooth is ready to come in.
Dental Sealants
Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are applied to the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from tooth decay. Most tooth decay in children and teens occurs on these surfaces.
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