Dental caries (tooth decay) is an infection caused by bacteria which destroys tooth enamel. A deep cavity in your child’s primary (baby) tooth may cause the infection to go into the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. In such cases, a pulpotomy is recommended to save the tooth.
A pulpotomy of a baby tooth is similar to, but not as complex as, root canal treatment of an adult tooth. Both procedures prevent unnecessary tooth loss. Your child’s primary teeth are important in guiding the permanent teeth into position and should therefore remain in your child’s mouth until they are ready to shed naturally.
A pulpotomy removes part of the pulp (nerve) of a tooth to prevent, or treat, the formation of an abscess (infection of the nerve). A medicated filling material is placed into the nerve space and a Stainless Steel Crown (cap) or a filling, is then used to restore the tooth.
We advocate proper brushing, flossing and avoidance of frequent sweet snacks to prevent the development of cavities large enough to require another pulpotomy. To insure this, please be sure to have regular checkups every six months so we can detect and treat dental caries in it’s early stages.
Due to the use of Local anesthetic during the pulpotomy procedure, watch your child for a few hours to make sure he/she is not chewing the cheek, tongue or lip, which are numb.
Brush and floss as usual. A clean mouth heals faster !
Avoid hard sticky foods which tend to pull out the filling or Stainless Steel Crown(cap).
Courtesy: Google Images.