What Is Restorative Pediatric Dentistry?
Posted on July 6, 2023
Prevention is always better than restoration. According to Live Science, roughly 200 to 300 distinct species of bacteria make up the oral chemical weapon known as plaque. This acidic substance attacks the tooth enamel, and if the damage gets far enough, it can cause cavities or otherwise damage or destroy teeth. A dentist for kids follows the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry for best practices in protecting your children’s teeth.
Cement, Bridges, and Crowns
When deciduous teeth are injured, there are two main options for treatment. One is to let the damaged tooth sit in place if the damage isn’t too bad and wait for it to fall out on its own, and if the damage is severe, to extract the tooth and allow the gap to persist until the permanent tooth emerges. Permanent teeth can sometimes be repaired by a dentist for kids with dental cement but other options include a crown, a bridge, or a whole prosthetic tooth.
Cavities and Decay
The most common disease in teeth, for both children and adults, is tooth decay. When tooth decay gets past a certain point, it pushes past the hard enamel and begins attacking the soft dentin. At this point, caries or cavity is formed and attacks further into the root. Without preventive dentistry finding these caries and taking corrective action, chances are good that the first time they will be detected is when they reach the nerve-rich interior of the tooth and begin causing pain.
Amalgam Fillings
The most common treatment for cavities is a Class I or Class II dental amalgam: A metal filling that sits in the cavity and prevents plaque from attacking the weak point in the tooth. The advantage of this treatment is that it’s inexpensive, easily available, and can provide a defense against further decay. If the goal is to protect a baby’s tooth until it falls out, the filling is a perfectly adequate way of accomplishing this. However, dental fillings do not prevent decay entirely, only slow it down, so for permanent teeth, other means of protection are needed.
Your children’s teeth are crucial to their development into adults. Being able to eat pain-free during the childhood years is important to adequate nutrition and strong adult development. Get an appointment with a dentist for kids like Creekside Smiles Pediatric Dentistry for your family and get them on the right path today.
