Dental Restorations From a Children’s Dentist

Finding the right children’s dentist can give your child a healthier smile. Kids can develop cavities at an early age. Seeing this type of dentist can help keep baby teeth and new permanent teeth intact with proper restorations. Here are the dental restorations that your child can get from a children’s dentist.

Stainless steel dental crowns

A larger cavity in kids may need full tooth coverage with a stainless-steel crown. The children’s dentist will place this restoration so that the child can regain good bite strength. It often goes onto the back teeth for better chewing. Stainless steel crowns are strong restorations for baby teeth. Once the permanent teeth start to erupt, these crowns fall off.

Nerve treatment or pulpotomy

The children’s dentist will perform this restoration if a tooth breaks up to its nerve or if a cavity reaches the tooth’s nerve. Pulpotomy is also called a baby root canal. The children’s dentist will remove a small part of the tooth’s nerve. Replacing it with medication will help heal the whole tooth. The treated baby tooth will fall off as soon as the permanent tooth erupts.

White fillings or composite resin restorations

The children’s dentist will use these restorations for small cavities. The material is synthetic plastic, which is good for its aesthetic effects. White fillings are good for baby teeth, but these are not as strong as metal. The parent must be mindful of what the child eats after getting these fillings. These fillings are prone to leaking or breaking. Each filling may need regular replacements.

Kinder crowns or white crowns

These are alternatives to stainless-steel crowns. They are for the front teeth or for the teeth near the front. The children’s dentist can also give these restorations as stronger alternatives for plastic resin crowns for treating the front teeth. These crowns have size limitations and specific techniques.

Hall crowns

The children’s dentist can use the hall technique to restore a child’s tooth. Hall crowns are less-invasive restorations for baby teeth with hypomineralization or severe decay. These crowns do not need deep sedation or numbing. The children’s dentist will remove very little dental structure for this restoration. Most children tolerate this procedure.

White spot treatment

White spot lesions are signs of early cavities. Using resin infiltration or white spot treatment on enamel lesions can bring back the enamel’s strength. The children’s dentist will use this less invasive restoration to seal the eroded parts of the enamel. Acids and plaque cause these spots. The enamel bruising often comes from infections or trauma of baby teeth.

Resin infiltration is a new treatment option. It is less expensive than the mentioned dental restorations. The treatment slows down the progression of cavities. In most cases, an improvement in the tooth is also visible.

About silver diamine fluoride (SDF)

SDF is not a type of dental restoration. It is an antimicrobial liquid that fills and treats cavities. The FDA cleared it in 2014 as an alternative to traditional dental fillings that need tooth structure removal and anesthesia. This treatment is for fearful young kids. The children’s dentist will look for any signs of discoloration as a side effect of SDF.