Tooth decay, also known as cavities or dental caries, is common among children. They are especially prone to this problem since they don’t have the best brushing habits and love eating sweets. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every five children aged 5 to 11 has at least one untreated cavity. Children may also injure their teeth in accidents and need restorative dental care.
At Children’s Dentistry of Lolo, we provide comprehensive restorative care to treat dental caries in children. Here are the services our team offers:
Composite Fillings (White)
We use composite resin fillings to restore children’s cracked or decayed teeth.
These tooth-colored materials are non-toxic solutions for your children’s cavities. They stop further decay and prevent the need for extraction while protecting the damaged tooth.
Dental Crowns
When dental caries in children are so deep that we cannot fix them with fillings, we use crowns. Dental crowns are caps that cover teeth with severe decay and protect them from further damage.
Different types of dental crowns include:
- Pre-veneered stainless steel crowns: Stainless steel crowns can have a white composite baked to the metal surface, making teeth look more natural. We typically use pre-veneered crowns on teeth that show more prominently. Although, the stainless steel can sometimes show through, especially near the gum line.
- All-Ceramic Zirconia Crowns: These crowns are prefabricated ceramics made of zirconia (zirconium dioxide) and designed by Nu-Smile. They are a natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing solution for treating deep dental caries in children.
- Stainless steel crowns (also called silver crowns): We commonly use these strong and durable crowns when aesthetics are not a concern, such as for molars that are out of sight.
Root Canals
We offer a root canal for children to clean out the nerve and blood supply of the tooth’s root when it has become inflamed or infected. A root canal is often needed when dental caries reach the pulp of the children’s teeth and cause severe pain. If left untreated, the infection can spread throughout the body and cause other health issues.
Extractions
We do everything we can to save your children’s teeth. But when the damage is too great, the only option left is extraction. Pulling baby teeth at the dentist can be scary for the children, so we offer different sedation techniques to help them relax.
Space Maintainers
We use space maintainers when a baby tooth is pulled out prematurely due to infection or injury. Space maintainers will prevent other teeth from shifting and blocking the emergence of adult teeth.
Deep Cleanings
Deep cleanings are usually for those with gum disease. While young children rarely need to have a deep cleaning, older kids and teenagers might need this procedure to remove subgingival (below the gumline) tartar and calculus to heal their gums and prevent dental caries. For this procedure we numb the area using a local anesthetic (lidocaine) and mechanically scrape the calculus off the teeth. Often, laughing gas is helpful for this procedure.
