What Is a Pulpotomy for Children?
Posted by writeradmin
Can you help me? I brought my son to his regular dental check up. The dentist said he has a tooth that needs a pulpotomy. I wasn’t sure what that meant and the dentist was in a hurry. He didn’t have time to answer any questions. I did look it up online. It looks like it is a root canal for kids. Is that accurate? If so, why would a baby tooth need a root canal? They’re going to fall out anyway, aren’t they?
Yasmine
Dear Yasmine,
I’m not crazy about the fact that your son’s dentist didn’t take the time to answer your questions. It may be time to find a different pediatric dentist. You are correct that a pulpotomy is the child’s version of an adult root canal, though it is not as extensive.
Here’s how the procedure works:
Most of the pulp of the baby tooth will be removed, then the tissue inside the roots will be daubed with a disinfectant, that is safe for use. Finally, the tooth will be sealed and covered with a crown. Most children get stainless steel crowns.
This would only be necessary on a child’s infected tooth if it was a back tooth. That is because they have to remain in the child’s mouth until they are twelve years old. If it is not a back tooth, then I would not get the pulpotomy. However, if the tooth is infected you don’t want to leave it in his mouth.
If left untreated, a tooth infection spreads to other parts of the body. You do not want that to happen because as it spreads it becomes life threatening. People still die from untreated tooth infections. Because your son’s tooth will fall out eventually anyway, I would just have the tooth pulled. This will eliminate any risk of the infection spreading.
This blog is brought to you by Franklin, TN Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Christopher Weber.
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