Endodontic treatment refers to any treatment procedure that encompasses the nerves as well as the blood vessels in the center of the tooth (also known as pulp). If the tooth of your child is damaged due to traumatic injury, decay or any other reason, he may need endodontic treatment. The primary aim of this treatment is to save the tooth, thereby eliminating the need for extraction.
Does Your Child Need An Endodontic Treatment?
Endodontic treatment is only required in extreme cases. Below are some cases that may indicate the need for the same, for your child.
* Extreme pain in a tooth for unexplained reasons
* Extreme sensitivity of the teeth to temperature changes
* Sensitivity from a broken tooth
Even if your child has primary teeth, he still may need endodontic treatment. It is true that these teeth will fall out eventually. But, these teeth are important for chewing and speaking and for creating proper spacing in the mouth.
Types Of Endodontic Treatment
Endodontic treatment can be broadly categorized into two main types, namely- Vital pulp therapy and Non-vital pulp therapy. Several factors such as severity of the damage, history of pain and overall dental health are considered to determine which one of the two will be administered to your child.
Vital pulp therapy for primary teeth
This type of therapy is deployed if there is no swelling or abscesses. If at all there is some swelling, it is removed using the root canal treatment. Vital pulp therapy is only used if the affected tooth is not loose. There are four main types of vital therapy.
* Protective base- It is used when there is a decay in the tooth and pulp remains unaffected. The decay is removed, which is followed by placement of a protective material.
* Indirect pulp cap- This is used when the decay is close to the pulp but the pulp is not yet affected. Most of the decay is removed. For the remaining decay, a protective covering is used to avoid exposure to pulp.
* Direct pulp cap- It is used when only a small amount of pulp has been affected.
* Vital pulpotomy- It is used in severe cases when the top part of the pulp is affected but the root is still healthy.
Non-vital pulp therapy for primary teeth
Also popularly known as root canal treatment, this one is used when the pulp has been extremely damaged. Here in, the dentist carefully removes all the affected pulp from the roots. The roots are then filled with a specially formulated material. A crown is placed on the tooth afterwards to prevent further damage.
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