Three Ways To Deal With A Child's Deep Cavity
Posted on: 31 May 2018
Does your child have a bad cavity that needs to be treated? If so, you may be wondering what the best way to proceed will be. If the cavity is actively causing pain, the need to act will be urgent. That is why it helps to know the options that are available to you to treat the cavity.
Dental Fillings
A filling will seal up the hole that has formed within the tooth, which then prevents all types of bacteria from getting into it and causing more decay to form. The first step to using a filling will be to remove all parts of their tooth that has decay. This involves drilling portions of their tooth out before a filling can be put into its place.
Your family dentist will use a filling material that is made with amalgam or composite material. The benefits of using composite material is that is can use a resin that matches the existing color of the child's tooth. It will blend in seamlessly, and nobody will ever know that they had a cavity. The amalgam material is made out of metal, which is more cost effective, but will be noticeable.
Consider using composite material if the filling is on a visible part of the tooth, and amalgam material for rear molars if you are on a budget.
Root Canals
For very deep cavities, a root canal may be recommended to remove the pulp within the tooth. This is where all of the nerves are located, which explains why there is so much pain. Those inflamed or infected nerves can cause the cavity to feel very painful, which requires more serious treatment.
A root canal procedure involves removing the pulp, cleaning the tooth, filling the center of the tooth, and placing a crown on top of it.
Extractions
A dental extraction is recommended when the dentist doesn't feel like the tooth can be saved with a root canal. It can also be used if the affected tooth is a baby tooth, and it is very close to coming out. It makes more sense to pull the tooth and prevent it from causing more pain, and the adult tooth will come in right behind it.
If extracting an adult tooth, you will need to consider the option for how it will be replaced. Even a baby tooth that has been pulled can benefit from having a flipper installed until the adult tooth grows in.
Contact a dentist, like John S. Lyon DDS, for more help.
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