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Restorative dentistry involves restoring the appearance, function, and structure of missing, damaged, or severely decayed teeth and treating oral diseases. Damaged teeth can cause significant aesthetic and functional problems. It can be difficult to speak clearly or eat and if your child's tooth is damaged or infected, it could be causing your child a lot of pain.
At Saginaw Kids Dentistry, we offer a wide variety of restorative dental treatments, such as pulpotomies and pulpectomies to treat damaged or infected dental nerves, tooth replacement options for missing teeth, dental crowns for teeth with extensive caries, tooth-colored fillings to treat small cavities, and space maintainers which hold space for permanent teeth to come in when a baby tooth has been lost prematurely.
It’s a common misperception that losing baby teeth prematurely won’t cause any long-term oral health problems and do not need to be replaced. However, this is not true. Aside from maintaining the cosmetic appearance and functionality of a full smile, baby teeth serve many other specific and important purposes.
Baby teeth are placeholders for permanent teeth. When a tooth is lost prematurely, it may lead to jaw bone loss. Bone deterioration results in shifting teeth and changes to the facial structure. When teeth shift, it can cause problems such as rotated teeth (due to overcrowding), problems with your child's bite, and can cause the surrounding teeth to shift to where your child's tooth used to be.
If nothing is done to prevent your child's surrounding teeth from shifting, your child's permanent tooth will become impacted and will be unable to penetrate through the gums.
This is why Dr. Christina and Dr. Elias place space maintainers. Space maintainers act as placeholders. A space maintainer will hold the space to prevent teeth from shifting, and will act as a guide for the permanent tooth to erupt properly.
We exclusively use tooth-colored fillings at Saginaw Kids Dentistry. These fillings blend in with your child’s natural teeth and are very strong and durable. They are also free of mercury, which is typically used in metal fillings and is a toxic substance.
At Saginaw Kids Dentistry, our board-certified pediatric dental specialists offer all restorative treatment options. Some options may not be the right fit for every child or every tooth. By focusing on minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Christina and Dr. Elias will ensure your child is always safe and comfortable.
Zirconia crowns are strong, tooth colored crowns that look and feel like natural teeth. These crowns are ideal for cosmetics for front and back baby teeth. These crowns are more brittle than stainless steel crowns, so not every baby tooth can have this type of crown.
Stainless steel crowns are only used in back baby teeth that will fall out naturally in the future. They are very durable and resistant to chewing and biting.
The biggest benefit of white stainless steel crowns is that they have the durable component of stainless steel as well as the cosmetic tooth-colored veneer on the front. They offer the same benefits as stainless steel crowns, but have a much more natural, tooth-like appearance.
At the center of the tooth below the enamel and dentin is the dental pulp, which contains nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Deep cavities and dental trauma can damage the dental pulp, resulting in tooth pain, swelling, temperature sensitivity, redness, and/or a prematurely loose tooth. If the damaged pulp is not treated, infection can occur and then spread beyond the dental pulp, leading to pain and swelling. Fortunately, there are pulp therapy options for these damaged dental pulps.
A pulpotomy is used for baby teeth that are decayed to the nerve. It involved removing the top part of the nerve, and placing a healing medicine on the remaining nerve tissue. This allows the tooth to heal until it falls out naturally and is replaced by an adult tooth.
A pulpectomy is similar to a pulpotomy. However, instead of only removing the top part of the nerve, the entire pulp is removed, including the roots. This is necessary for tooth infections, or if a pulpotomy is not effective at saving your child's tooth. After removing the nerve, the tooth is disinfected and is filled with a healing medication. The tooth is then covered with a crown.
Following a tooth extraction, a space maintainer will usually be used to maintain the proper space between your child's teeth. This ensures that your child's surrounding teeth won't shift into this space which may cause orthodontic problems.
Not all baby teeth that have been lost prematurely will need space maintainers. Space maintainers are typically placed on the back teeth. Dr. Elias or Dr. Christina may also advise that a space maintainer is not necessary if the permanent tooth is due to erupt soon. Dr. Elias and Dr. Christina will discuss all of this with you during your child's dental visit.
The sooner you get help for your child’s oral health issues, the better the outcome will be.
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