hello i would like to ask about pulpotomy treatment for children..thank you.
– Yamir from Iraq
Dear Yamir,
A pulpotomy is done on an infected baby tooth to kill the infection. In this treatment, most of the pulp of the baby tooth is removed, down to the roots, and the tissue inside the roots is daubed with a disinfectant such as formocresol. The tooth is then sealed and usually covered with a stainless steel crown.
It’s kind of like a root canal treatment shortcut for baby teeth that will fall out in a few years anyway. It is usually done only on baby molars, because they need to stay in place until about age 10-12 in order to hold the space for the permanent premolars. If those teeth are lost too early, the permanent teeth will come in all jumbled – not a good situation.
Another treatment option, if the tooth is too infected, is to take out the baby molar and place a space maintainer.
If you’d like to read more, you can go to the page in our pediatric dentistry section about pulpotomy.
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
Becky says
We discovered my son had two bad teeth when he was three. The dentist said the enamel didn’t form correctly while while he was in the womb. When he was three, we went to a pediatric dentist and he had this done and the teeth were covered with “shiney caps” as we used to call them. He did fine with them and they fell out when he was about 11 and his permanent teeth came in with no problems.