What’s a Pulpotomy? Pain Relief for Tiny Teeth

The pulp is found in the center of each tooth and consists of tissue, nerves, and blood vessels, which work together to provide oxygen and nutrients that keep them healthy and strong. If one or more teeth suffer a traumatic injury or decay, the pulp can become inflamed or infected. When this happens in a child’s primary or baby tooth, your Lexington dentist, Dr. Brewer may recommend a pulpotomy.

A pulpotomy, also referred to as pulp therapy, is performed to prevent further infection and early tooth loss. The procedure entails applying a topical anesthetic to numb the area before creating a small opening in the tooth, removing the infected, inflamed pulp, then sealing the chamber with a medicated filling that will prevent bacteria growth and allow a crown (stainless steel, porcelain, or white zirconia are the most common materials to choose from) to be fitted in place to restore the tooth.

Why Save a Baby Tooth?

When infection strikes a tooth in your little one’s mouth, you might think: “It’s a baby tooth, why not just remove it or let it fall out?” We wish we could tell you it’s that simple, but baby teeth have an important job. Losing them before they’re due to exit can cause permanent teeth to shift and erupt out of proper alignment, not to mention the increased difficulty for them to chew and speak naturally.

Protecting and restoring your child’s baby teeth can save their oral health and self-confidence. While pulpotomies may sound serious and scary, often they’re a source of relief because the inflammation and infection inside the pulp are incredibly painful. Acting fast can prevent increasing pain and the need for a pulpectomy, which is a removal of the diseased pulp from both the crown and the root. It can also make the difference between whether the tooth becomes abscessed—if the infection reaches this level, the tooth needs to be saved or face extraction.

What to Watch For

You should contact Brewer Family Dental as soon as possible if your child experiences any of the following symptoms:

  • Severe toothache, especially when chewing or applying pressure
  • Extreme sensitivity to hot or cold food and beverage temperatures
  • Tooth discoloration (darkening)
  • Swelling of gums
  • Small, persistent or recurring bumps on gums

Infection Prevention

At Brewer Family Dental, we think the best treatment is no treatment. That means we emphasize prevention, which is largely reliant on education, healthy lifestyles, and strong oral hygiene routines. We want learning about the mouth to be fun, and for your little one’s smile to stay healthy and bright for life.

We offer thorough exams, gentle cleanings, and dental sealants to help ward off infection-causing bugs. Contact us today to schedule a visit!

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

The post What’s a Pulpotomy? Pain Relief for Tiny Teeth appeared first on Brewer Family Dental.



from Brewer Family Dental https://dentistinlexingtonky.com/blog/whats-a-pulpotomy-pain-relief-for-tiny-teeth/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an...
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of ...
Read more

Lemon Juice – The Good, the Bad, & the Sour

Image
In a great tale of opposites, lemon juice can be both acidic and basic, or alkaline. Read on to find out why people are talking about this, and what it means for your oral and overall health . What is pH and why does it matter? Drinking lemon juice (usually diluted in a glass of water or added to a cup of tea) is a beloved health tonic among fans of natural medicine. Potential benefits include lower cholesterol, lower inflammation in the body, and increased metabolism and energy. Lemon also contains high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C that boost your immune system. On a scale from 0-14, a pH of 7 is neutral (pure water) while numbers below 7 are acidic (unhealthy), and above 7 are basic or alkaline (healthy). Believers in holistic health blame many ailments on the body’s pH being too low or too acidic. Increasing your body’s pH is called “alkalizing.” Lemon juice in its natural state is acidic with a pH of about 2, but once metabolized it actually becomes alkaline with a pH ...
Read more