3 Things To Take Into Consideration When Considering Root Canal Therapy For Your Child's Baby Teeth
Posted on: 28 March 2017
If your child has a cavity that went untreated for a length of time, that cavity could have grown very deep, even making its way all the way down to your child's roots and nerves. Although root canal therapy is not that common in children, especially on baby teeth, it may be necessary if the cavity is impacting your child's nerves near that tooth.
However, the choice to have your child undergo a root canal treatment is entirely up to you, as it is a considered a surgical procedure since your child may need general anesthesia in order to be still long enough for the dentist to perform root canal therapy. You need to take into consideration your child's age and the depth of the cavity when making this decision.
#1 Age Of Your Child
The first thing that you need to take into consideration is the age of your child. Your child's baby teeth are only going to be in place for so long; you don't want to have a root canal performed on a tooth that your child should lose that same year based on how average children's teeth come in. However, if the particular tooth that is affected will not be replaced with a permeant tooth for many years, it can be determinate to your child's overall dental health to not have the tooth treated in some shape or form.
You can make a more informed decision by first finding out which specific tooth needs to be treated, and when your child's permanent tooth in that location should come in. You may want to look at a diagram that provides you with this information.
#2 The Condition Of The Cavity
The second thing that you need to take into consideration is the condition of the cavity. Ask the dentist to show you the x-rays that they took of your child's mouth so you can see for yourself where the cavity is located. Root canals on children should only be performed if the cavity is really deep and has progressed beyond the surface of your child's tooth and is getting close to or has already damaged your child's nerves associated with that tooth.
If you feel that the cavity is really not deep enough for root canal treatment, see if the dentist is willing to treat it as a normal cavity and monitor it to ensure that the cavity is eradicated.
#3 How Your Child Feels
The third thing you need to take into consideration is how your child feels. If your child expresses discomfort and indicates that their mouth or tooth hurts, or if they experience lots of ear or headaches, those are all signs that the cavity is really hurting your child. If your child is in discomfort, you may want to go through with the root canal so that your child will be more comfortable and not in pain until their infected baby tooth falls out and their permanent tooth comes in.
For more information or assistance, contact a local dentist, such as George J Mendel DMD.
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