The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry states that nitrous oxide is safe for use in children and produces no long-term side effects. It is used to alleviate anxiety and keep children relaxed during dental procedures. Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is an inhaled sedative that produces feelings of calmness and even euphoria. However, in cases where the child may be excessively anxious or unable to sit still, nitrous oxide may be used as a sedative. Most pulp therapy treatments can be performed using only a local anesthetic, or temporary pain blocker. Will my child be sedated during their pulp therapy treatment?
Pulp therapy preserves your child’s primary teeth and increases the chances that their permanent teeth will erupt without complication. When baby teeth are lost too soon, it can cause crowding in neighboring teeth that results in crooked or tilted permanent teeth. Baby teeth are required for proper speaking and eating, as well as to preserve adequate space for permanent teeth. Although your child will eventually lose their baby teeth, prematurely lost teeth can cause issues. Pulp therapy for baby teeth is important to prevent the loss of your child’s tooth. To find out for sure if your child needs pulp therapy for their baby teeth, schedule a consultation with Battery Park Pediatrics today! Some children will show no symptoms, which is why it is so important to maintain regular dental checkups every six months. However, not all children who need baby root canals are symptomatic. Your child may need pulp therapy for their baby teeth if they are suffering from tooth pain for no apparent reason, they have a tooth or teeth that is sensitive to temperature changes, you notice swelling or redness around the teeth, or if they have a broken tooth. Finally, the entire tooth will be restored with a stainless steel crown to prevent fracturing.Īccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 60-90% of school-aged children around the world suffer from dental cavities severe enough to require dental treatment.ĭoes my child need pulp therapy for their baby teeth? Then the root canals are cleaned and filled with a special material that can be safely absorbed by the body to allow for the primary tooth to eventually fall out and make room for the permanent tooth. In non-vital pulp therapy, all the pulp is removed from the entirety of the tooth. Non-Vital Pulp Therapy: used the entire pulp, all the way down to the root canals, is diseased.Then the entire tooth is restored, usually with a stainless steel crown. Once the diseased tissue is removed, an agent is placed to prevent bacteria from growing and to relieve pain. Vital Pulp Therapy: used when the tooth’s pulp can be saved, and consists of removing the diseased pulp tissue only and preserving the healthy pulp tissue.There are two kinds of pulp therapy for baby teeth: vital pulp therapy and non-vital pulp therapy. Without pulp therapy, the tooth can be prematurely lost or may require extraction. Tooth decay or damage to the tooth can cause this layer to become exposed and/or inflamed. Pulp is the innermost layer of the tooth and contains nerve and blood vessel tissue. Pulp therapy for baby teeth, also known as root canal, pulpotomy, pulpectomy, or nerve treatment, works to treat inflamed pulp in order to restore and save the affected tooth.